Gilmore Girls Star Vanessa Marano Shares Swimsuit Photo From Summer

Gilmore Girls star Vanessa Marano definitely got plenty of sunshine over the summer months, and posted the photos on her Instagram account. Marano shared pictures of herself lounging by the pool in a black bikini, a towel held playfully over her head to protect her from the direct sunlight. "It's summer," she captioned the post. Here's exactly how Marano focuses on the things that make her happy and full of good energy.

Marano knows just walking is one of the healthiest things a person can do, both for physical and mental benefits. "I'm not a big fan of working out, but walking is awesome," she says. "You can do it anywhere, multiple times a day and it doesn't take too long. I walk my dog, take the stairs instead of the elevator and park far away from a building that I need to go to."

Marano is careful about sugar, especially since she loves it so much. "I have a massive sweet tooth," she says. "The healthiest way I've found to satisfy it is by eating fruit. To balance out my sweet tooth, I reach for protein. I always feel so much more awake and healthier after a meal packed with protein."

Marano keeps her workouts fun, to stay motivated. "I trick myself into working out by mixing things up: hiking, yoga, kickboxing, or a few of these awesome moves you can do at home," she says, adding that she works out so she can still feel fit and healthy when she's 90. "I use that to motivate me," she says. "That, and the promise of chocolate later in the week." 

Marano is a diehard Gilmore Girls fan. "I was a huge fan of the show," she says. "Basically, a [casting] breakdown came out that said, 'Looking for a 13-year-old girl, quirky, will have a storyline with Luke.' And I was like, they're giving him a daughter! They're giving him a daughter! I immediately just knew, because I'd been watching the show. [I thought,] 'Luke and Lorelai are together now, it's going on for two more seasons, so they're going to have to break them up…and she's gonna be the reason, and I'm going to hate her – I must play her.' That was literally my crazy thought process…. If it's the character who breaks them up, then whatever, I just want to be on Gilmore Girls."

Marano doesn't regret missing out on typical high school activities due to her work schedule. "I totally missed out on a lot," she says. "Things like typical social schooling experiences–prom, grad night, etc. A lot of child actors look back on that time in their lives with regret; however, I've never felt I missed out on anything. I don't regret a single choice I made regarding my career. I didn't have a normal childhood and I loved every second of it. Not only did it greatly affect my professional life for the better, but it also highlighted the aspects of my personal life which were truly important to me: my friends who put up with my hectic schedule, the education I received by entering college at the age of fourteen, and my love of every single detail involved in filmmaking."