It’s hard to believe Elle Macpherson is approaching her half-century, particularly after the admiring looks she drew on the beach at Byron Bay over the holiday break. “I think she was trying to be low-key, but when you see that body in a bikini, it quite simply stops traffic,” says one local surfer, with a laugh. “When she walked down the beach, every bloke there went, ‘Wow! Look at Elle!’”

The model arrived with her boys, Flynn, 13, and Cy, 8, to spend a sun-kissed Christmas with her sister Mimi and father Peter Gow on the NSW north coast. “It was very low-key but it was lovely to spend time with Elle and the boys,” Mimi, 40, says. “And yes, she really does look fantastic!” Elle, 47, credits her incredible body to a healthy diet and regular exercise, squeezed between running her own business empire and raising her two active boys.

“I try to put aside an hour a day, five days a week, to do some sort of exercise, whether it’s Pilates or running in the park,” says Elle. “But with two boys, I don’t always get that time. I surf and ski, and sport is a big part of my life.” She also does yoga, cycles and keeps in shape with squats and lunges. Her “holiday” exercise regime included jogging on the beach with her dad, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer 14 months ago, and taking to a surfboard to ride Byron’s famous waves.

Her personal trainer, James Duigan, says that while Elle’s body may seem unachievable to many, the diet and exercise regime she follows to maintain her genetically blessed body could easily be adapted to suit everyone. “It’s about balance, it’s about staying consistent,” James says. “She doesn’t do anything savage or weird or crazy. There is no set routine and her workout varies greatly.”

Read more about Elle's amazing body in this week's Woman's Day on sale January 2, 2012. PLUS find out how to get Elle’s body, in the Woman's Day diet book, free with next week’s issue!