Wonder Years’ Danica McKellar in Bikini Is “Grateful” at 50 

Danica McKellar is heating up Hawaii in her bikini. In a new social media post, The Wonder Years star shows off her fit-at-50 body while on the beach during her vacation. “Hawaii!! 🌺 Yes, my son and I are wearing matching outfits we bought there, and yes he now TOWERS over me (see 3rd pic). 😂 Fortuitously, my sister and family happened to be in Hawaii on one of the days we were there(!) so swipe to see our bikini shot 😋 and then swipe again to see how I really looked on most of the vacation (sun protection haha 😂). It was four days of pure relaxation before a very busy time for me, and I’m so grateful for these mother-son moments, whatever the location!” she captioned the post, adding that her sister, Crystal McKellar, who played Becky Slater on The Wonder Years, is also featured in the photos.

Danica maintains that it takes a lot of discipline to stay in shape. “So here’s my philosophy: Yes, I care about how I look and staying fit & healthy. No, I don’t think that makes me superficial. And yes, it takes work,” she says in a blog post. “Staying in shape involves a lot of discipline which admittedly can be hard when we’re busy, but it is of the utmost importance both because of our health, and because our self-esteem will effect EVERY part of our lives. I’m certainly not saying we need to have perfect bodies to feel okay about ourselves, but an unhealthy body can be dangerous for men and women alike, especially as we get older. And it’s not superficial to want to stay in shape; it’s very connected to our energy level and even our mood. If I go for too long without exercising, or if I eat too many unhealthy foods, I start feeling lethargic, slow, and unmotivated. Not a good combination!”

Yoga is Danica’s workout of choice. “For exercise, I love yoga (I even made a DVD!) and aerobic activity like dancing, the treadmill, etc, and then for weight-bearing exercise (important for avoiding osteoporosis later in life), I do push-ups and some light weights. I try to vary my routine also – that way it doesn’t get boring, and it’s actually better for your body to keep changing it up,” she says.

Hydration is key, per Danica. “LOTS of water, NO soft drinks, and especially NO DIET SOFT DRINKS. They are the worst. They make you crave unhealthy food and I happen to believe that they mess up your metabolism. I hardly drink alcohol, and I don’t drink coffee. I even limit my juice, because that’s a lot of concentrated sugar. It’s much better to eat a piece of fruit than to drink juice!” she says.

“NOTHING artificial, no artificial sweeteners or colors,” makes it into Danica’s diet. “This is a HUGE rule of mine. Again, I believe this is why I can go for a week or two without exercising and not see any bad results. I stay away from what nature didn’t create. It just couldn’t be good for our bodies, no matter what the advertising companies tell us,” she says.

Her other dietary rules: “I mostly avoid gluten, so instead of bread, I eat rice cakes made from brown rice. They make some thin ones that are pretty good! To make up for the calories I’m not getting from bread, I work in extra (healthy, vegetable-based) fats like avocados and almonds, and I also love canned mackerel (one of my favorite snacks/lunches!),” she says. “I stay away from salty, sugary, and greasy foods, and over-processed foods. I try not to use “energy bars” – most of those are essentially candy bars with some protein powder sprinkled inside. It’s just a marketing ploy- “here, eat something that has lots of protein but that tastes like a candy bar!” Guess why? With the sugar and the chocolate, it IS a candy bar- and basically just as bad for you.”