5 Secrets of Mindy Kaling's Stunning Beach Body as She Launches Swimwear

Mindy Kaling is an actress and TV writer, and now heading up a swimsuit collab with Andie Swim. She recently announced her swimwear line with a video on Instagram of herself modeling pieces from it. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Mindy Kaling stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Manages Her Hyperpigmentation

Kaling tells Bustle that she struggles with hyperpigmentation and has found products that help with it. “I’ve always had really specific skin problems. I have incredibly oily skin. I still break out. I have hyperpigmentation issues. I have keloids. What was really cool about Lion Pose is it’s the first company that ever contacted me where the two founders were Indian women with darker skin tones who were dealing with my exact issues. They met at Harvard Business School and are so knowledgeable about dermatological things that I didn’t even know or think about. I started using their Unspotted [serum], and it completely got rid of all of my hyperpigmentation marks that I got from my acne scarring.”

2. She Removes Her Makeup

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Kaling makes sure to remove her makeup, and shared her process with New Beauty. “So what I always do when I take off my makeup is I use a hot washcloth, so I’m not using my expensive products to take stuff off that could have just been taken off with a cloth,” Kaling explains. “Then I’ll do some kind of an oil-based makeup removing balm. Or if it’s not oil-based, it has that smooth, creamy feeling to take off most of my makeup. The one that I’ve been using these days is the Drunk Elephant Slaai. I also really like the Augustinus Bader cleansing balm. That one’s pricier so that’ll be like, if someone gives that to me for a gift for Christmas, my birthday, I’ll use that one.”

3. She Uses Coconut Oil In Her Hair

Kaling revealed to Bustle that she likes to use coconut oil on her hair. “On Sundays when I was in high school, I remember my mom microwaving coconut oil that we would get from the Indian store. My dad loves sports, so we’d be watching John McEnroe or Andre Agassi at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. My mom would sit on the sofa, and I’d sit on the ground in front of her, and she’d put coconut oil in my hair. By the time the match was over, I could go rinse it out.”

4. She’s Consistent

Kaling makes sure to workout on a regular basis. She shares how she does so with People. "It's hard with two kids that I wake up really early and I fit it in — and I basically live in workout clothes so I can get it in, get an extra mile in. I just tell myself I have to do basically 20 miles a week of either hiking or running. And so that's been incredibly helpful to me.”

5. She Wears Sunscreen

Kaling shared some of her skincare secrets in an interview with Bustle. She says that wearing sunscreen is extremely important to her. “The biggest [skin concern] for me is that I have dark brown skin, and I really do care about sun protection. For the longest time, anything I found would have such a white cast on my skin. I love the new Ghost-Buster Sunscreen that Lion Pose came out with. It just blends in perfectly.”

Mindy Kaling is showcasing her incredible weight loss journey in a gorgeous blue swimsuit, saying she is excited to show off her new look. “The lowkey romantic gift my friends @traceywigfield and @loulielang gave me was this sexy blue one piece bathing suit which I was so excited to model. You know you have good friends when they’re excited to buy you intimate apparel!,” she captioned an Instagram post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Kaling stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Refuses To Diet

Kaling is passionate about not being too restrictive with diet, as it usually backfires. "I eat what I like to eat," the actress told ET. "If I do any kind of restrictive diet, it never really works for me. I just eat less of it." Experts agree that severely restrictive diets rarely work over the long term. “At any given time, more than a third of Americans are on a specific diet, with weight loss as a leading reason,” says Robert H. Shmerling, MD. “Most are going to be disappointed, because even when successful, lost weight is frequently regained within a few months.”

2. ...But Portion Control Is Key

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Mindy Kaling attends "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," the 2022 Costume Institute Benefit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

While Kaling refuses to diet, she understands moderation is crucial for health. “I'm never going stop being a foodie. I’m never going be someone who can just have spinach and salmon every day,” Kaling says. “I just am really for the first time in my life, trying moderation, and I love it."

3. She Loves to Walk

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 25: Mindy Kaling arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Focus Features' "Vengeance"at Ace Hotel on July 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

Kaling makes a point to keep moving throughout the day. “Sometimes I’ll be like, ‘Well, I have four different times today where I have 10 minutes so let’s just walk instead of sitting down and checking Instagram,'" she says. “So instead of it being like one chunk of exercise in the beginning of the day or none at all, I’m now just deciding that I’m going to be a more active person all the time.”

4. She Won’t Do “Punishing” Workouts

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Mindy Kaling, Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max attends the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2022 arrivals on the red carpet at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on May 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery)

Kaling understands that when it comes to exercise, it’s important to find something you enjoy. “In my 20s, I thought a workout had to be something that was punishing, like 45 minutes of running and you had to hate it the whole time,” she says. “I don’t have that relationship with exercise anymore.”

5. She Keeps Things Simple

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 12: Actress Mindy Kaling attends the premiere of "Vengeance" during the 2022 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on June 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/WireImage)

Like most people who instinctively understand what works for their body, Kaling doesn’t overthink her diet and fitness regimen. "Honestly, I didn't really do anything differently. I eat what I like to eat. If I do any kind of restrictive diet, it never really works for me. I just eat less of it... I wish there was something more juicy or dynamic about the way that I've lost a little bit of weight, but that's the way I've done it,” she explains.

6. Workout As Therapy

Kaling appreciates the mental health benefits of exercise. "I love working out," she says. "I don't go to therapy, and I think that's because I get endorphins from exercise. It's such a powerful tool for me mentally. I know that working out is not the path for me to be skinny. For my body type, that entails eating well and making healthy choices. Working out is a way for me to have mental strength, and now, with a kid, it's also time that I have just for myself and to focus on my body."

7. She Was Sensible About Losing the Baby Weight

Kaling continued working out throughout her pregnancy to make post-baby weight loss easier. “I did a lot of yoga and a lot of walking, and I jogged until I couldn't jog anymore,” Kaling says. “I exercised until the morning I gave birth. Also, about a week after I had the baby, I started walking a couple of miles a day. I don't recommend that for everyone, obviously, but I didn't have that difficult of a delivery. All those things were really helpful when it came to losing the weight.”