‘90s Icon Melissa Joan Hart Shares Swimsuit Photo 

Melissa Joan Hart is giving a very sweet birthday shout-out to husband Mark Wilkerson via a post on social media. Hart, 47, shared a reel of the many special moments they have spent together as a family, including travels around the world. The video included stills of herself wearing bathing suits while on fun adventures with the musician. “What a man to let me drag him around the world, to have a child-like heart with his babies and to shine a bright light on everyone in his orbit! The adventures and memories we've made along the way are immeasurable and I pray we get to create so many more together. May your birthday bring you joy and may the kids (and myself) allow you peace today and all year! Happy Birthday @mmwilkerson!!” she captioned the highlights reel. Here’s how the busy actress and mother-of-three stays so full of energy.

1. Slow and Steady Weight Loss

Hart previously lost 40 pounds over two years and never felt better. “Being able to take off layers or put on a jean that’s a size smaller is so refreshing and it just makes it easier just to move through life,” she says. “Especially when chasing children. It just makes it easier for me to play with them and run after them and have the energy… Staying in shape and staying fit is so important in my life just because of all the things I want to do.”

2. Training With Husband

Hart works out with her husband, which helped her on the weight loss journey with cardio and strength training sessions. “Since he’s such an avid workout guy, I wanted to have him train me to see how my body could shift and change,” she says. “It just made me happier. It made me feel physically and emotionally lighter to be able to do the things I wanna do, to be able to wear the clothes I wanna wear, to be able to feel sexy around my husband again. I’m very proud of myself.”

3. Healthy Home Cooking

Hart enjoys cooking for herself and the family. “I have been playing around with different shrimp dishes because the whole family likes shrimp and it’s a good way to get protein and they all like it,” she says. “I like to do lemon, spices, garlic and play around with the different flavors and throw it on top of pasta. I’m actually really good at making large portions of food like casseroles. My specialty is lasagna. I usually make three or four lasagnas at a time. When we moved from Connecticut to Nashville, I accidentally left the whole lasagna in the freezer. I’ve gotten good at my mom’s lasagna recipe and I can whip that up quick. One in the oven and one in the freezer for later.”

4. MCT Oil

Shutterstock

Hart has talked about using MCT oil in her water and tea every day, to help with energy and weight loss. “Many claims have been made about the health benefits MCTs provide, which has placed a ‘health halo’ around this nutrient,” says Anthony DiMarino, RD. “However, researchers have been unable to provide concrete evidence. MCT oil would be safe in small doses for most generally healthy individuals. I would not recommend it to someone who is living with fatty liver or heart disease because MCTs are still fats.”

5. Spiritual Life

Hart’s faith is at the center of her family life, and the family even attended virtual mass during the lockdowns. "We stand. We hold hands. We sing. Every once in a while someone falls asleep on the couch, as opposed to falling asleep on a pew at the church," she says. "So, it's not that different… We just find time to be together and say our prayers and make sure that we are thankful.”