Too hot to handle

From London Free Press: Too hot to handle
Playboy cover model Elle Patille gives new meaning to the term "explosive workouts."

The Canadian bombshell loves climbing active volcanoes in Central America in her spare time.

Seriously.

Patille, a 33-year-old native of Mississauga, Ont., has documented eight such daring and gruelling volcanic treks online.

Her latest conquest was the mighty Santiaguito in Guatemala's western highlands during an orange alert -- aka a "do not climb" advisory, she tells QMI Agency with a devilish laugh.

The brown-eyed brunette and three other thrill-seekers spent three days hiking the dangerously active volcano earlier this year.

"There's debris about the size of small cars to minivans that actually come flying your way with every eruption. We were hiding behind large boulders whenever that would happen," she recalls.

"And after every eruption, there's usually a torrential downpour because of all the vapour clouds. And there's ash showers. It looked like snow was falling. It's pretty unreal."

It's also "an amazing workout," the Torontonian adds, noting she has "27 more volcanoes left to climb in Guatemala."

Of course, not all of Patille's workouts are quite as extreme.

But then again, there's nothing routine about her, well, workout routine, especially considering her hectic travel schedule.

"I just try to do it as often as I can," she explains. "So even if that means grabbing a kettlebell and working out in the backyard, or taking some weights or one of those stability balls while I travel, then I do, just so I can try to get a quick workout in my hotel room. It's too hard to stick to a daily regimen when you're so busy."

Patille, a lean 125 pounds at five-foot-10, also enjoys Bikram yoga.

She works up a sweat in what she affectionately calls the "torture chamber" as often as her schedule allows.

"It's hot yoga for 90 minutes at 115 degrees," she says. "It's like doing yoga for an hour and a half in a sauna."

Fitness has always been important to Patille.

But as she moves into her mid-30s, she admits she's "a little older than most of the girls who are still posing for Playboy," and her workouts have taken on a greater sense of urgency.

"I've been very lucky, very fortunate -- good genes, I guess," she says. "At the same time, it does put pressure on you. You look at the younger girls coming in, and by no means is it a competition, but it does put more pressure on you, absolutely."

That's why Patille doesn't splurge as much as she'd like to when it comes to her diet.

She eats plenty of veggies, fruit, nuts and fish.

"I try to avoid red meat. I think it's the animal lover in me," she adds.

Even if she didn't pose nude for a living, Patille explains, she'd still keep fit.

"Fitness is important for anybody, even if you're not in my profession," she says. "I just think it's something that should be mandatory for everybody just to feel good about themselves. I'm a strong believer in it."

Visit www.ellepatille.com.

Elle's advice:

"You know what, as long as you're feeling good about your life, you're healthy and you're having fun, that's all that really matters. So don't put too much pressure on yourself. I know we're our own worst critics, but that can just be detrimental at the end. Just take care of yourself and enjoy your life."