Natalie Decorte
In the second instalment in our collaboration with The Upside, we meet with Natalie Decorte – the gorgeous former ballerina, mother of three and brand manager of Polo Events Australia – to find out how she kick-starts her weekends, recharges body and spirit – and keeps up! Hint: by scheduling a no-schedule Sunday at Bondi filled with healthy treats and long beach walks
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Photographed by JULIE ADAMS
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Editor NATASHA INCHLEY
Jump (For My Love): this month, The Upside launches its trademark muscle tanks for children and to celebrate, Decorte shares her favourite weekend routine with her three children in tow – Cassian, 7 months, Blaise, 5, and Indigo, 7 – photographed in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The family wears The Upside throughout. Click through to shop the collection.
How do you love to spend a typical Sunday as a family – what is your routine?
I try and keep the weekends as unstructured as possible, after a week of school activities it's a luxury not to have to be anywhere at a certain time. Sunday morning we have Nippers [the Surf Life Saving Sydney Junior Activities club], but we never get sleep-ins anyway so it's lovely to walk down to Bondi beach. There is such a community around here that we always end up bumping into a few people we know and then organising impromptu BBQ lunches or beach hangs from there. On Sundays, we also normally eat one meal out, a late breakfast or an early dinner with the kids, always around Bondi, we totally keep it in the bubble.
As a mother with two young children and a baby in tow, how are you keeping your energy levels up right now?
At the moment I’m finding smoothies are an amazing way to get lots of nutrition, fast! Almond milk, frozen berries, leafy greens, and whatever powders I can find in the fridge, such as a protein or probiotics, a knob of Ginger and tahini take it to the next level.
What is your viewpoint on motherhood, and how has it changed your world?
Isn’t it just the hardest job on the planet? From the moment your first child is born, you really do take second place on the priority ladder. With a newborn, every moment of your day is spent wondering wether they have drunk enough milk, did you dress them in clothes that are too hot or cold? Have I done enough skin-on-skin time? Are they sleeping enough etc ...? And as they get older, you still worry but just about different things. I think you just get used to all that and it becomes a part of you, just not in a negative way. I'm very good at keeping things in perspective, but of course the thoughts still pass through your mind. Your whole being and purpose is to raise your offspring as best you can, and it's so truly rewarding when you watch them becoming amazing little people. I am thoroughly enjoying this time of my life.
Tell us about your passion for ballet, what ignited your love of dance?
I started ballet as a little girl aged five, and just never stopped. I was given a walk-on role in the Australian Ballet production of Romeo And Juliet when I was about nine years old, and being backstage in the opera house with all the professional dancers was just magical. I remember the smell of the hairspray and the makeup and costumes so vividly. I never imagined then that I would become a professional dancer and go on to spend eight years performing at both the Royal Opera House in London and the Sydney Opera House.
What is your workout anthem and routine?
Cleaning the household to hip hop music.
And your philosophy for embracing activewear away from the gym. How best to pull it off?
When my son was in preschool, my daughter was at school and I was pregnant with Cassian, and it was six kilometres of walking to drop off and pick up every day, so I wore activewear for that ... But that's a work out in itself, right?
How are you encouraging your little ones to take up healthy exercise habits?
I would hope to lead by example. We walk a fair amount and I always point out to the kids how many people are exercising and how good it is for you, we stop and look at all the super-toned people at the Bondi monkey bars, hopefully some of that will stick. Generally, Sydney has such great weather so it's about getting outside at every opportunity and just running around, throwing balls, skipping, the kids make up their own games. Lately they have been playing this game with the boy next door, the fence is quite high so they can't see each other but they throw a ball back and forth over the fence for hours.
