Dancer Witney Carson Shares Swimsuit Photo of "Strawberry Summer"

Dancer Witney Carson is taking advantage of the warm September climate in Los Angeles to catch some rays before the fall weather arrives. Carson, 29, shared pictures of herself lounging in the sun, wearing a white swimsuit patterned with red strawberries. In a very cute touch, even her manicure had matching little red strawberries on it. "A strawberry summer 🍓," she captioned the post. "The matching nails and suit yassss queen," commented pal Iskra Lawrence. Carson's approach to health and fitness is refreshingly down to earth—here's exactly how she does it. 

Carson starts the day with her own special banana pancakes. "I love starting my morning by making banana pancakes at home," she says. "Banana pancakes are a perfect way to use up any old bananas that might be lying around your kitchen, AND it's healthy with no flour. For this recipe, you will need one banana, big scoop of almond butter and two eggs (this makes about 10-12 pancakes). Combine banana mashed up, almond butter and eggs. Stir until banana is smooth and consistent with the eggs. Oil a griddle or frying pan over a medium high heat and pour the batter onto the pan. Cook until the pancakes are a golden brown on both sides and enjoy! I love to top these with berries and a little honey."

Carson enjoys kickboxing workouts several times a month. "I try to do kickboxing three times a month, maybe once a week," she says. "I actually work with an MMA fighter in LA, so it's super fun to do actual real kickboxing. It's not just like in Pilates where they kind of just punch the air. You're punching into the pads and kicking. I like the patterns. For me mentally, having patterns to memorize helps my brain remember dance steps. Having that memorization is really important. Also it's just a really good workout. You let out all of your anger and all your stress and punch stuff. Who doesn't want to just punch stuff and have a workout?"df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Carson makes a point of drinking enough water for both health and beauty. "The most important thing is to drink as much water as you can throughout the day – it will keep your skin healthy, your body healthy, and your mind," she says. "Nothing feels as good as being healthy does!"

One of Carson's go-to healthy snacks are peanut butter apples. ​​"Peanut butter apples are a perfect sweet treat," she says. "They are so quick and easy to make and help keep things on the healthier side. Simply cut an apple in half and spread peanut butter on both sides. You can leave it as simple as this, or for a little extra savoriness, I like to drizzle caramel or chocolate on top. You can also add crumbled pretzels or mashed up Reese's pieces if you are looking for a little extra indulgence."

Carson has learned to truly appreciate her body after years of struggling with low self-esteem. "Being a dancer growing up and even throughout adulthood (especially throughout adulthood) I've always been self conscious about my weight and how I looked," she says. "I've struggled with this and that's why I was hesitant to post these photos. I didn't feel I looked a certain way, 'good enough' and that was a sad thought to me. I'm learning to celebrate my body the way it is now and celebrate the small successes to a HEALTHY body, spirit and mind."