Hallmark Star Danica McKellar Shares Swimsuit Photo of “Costa Rica Photo Dump”

Hallmark star Danica McKellar went on an amazing trip to Costa Rica over the summer with her family. McKellar, 48, shared pictures of the magical vacation, including one of herself posing in a hat and brightly patterned swimsuit. “Costa Rica photo dump!! 🌴✈️🐸🌊 My family and I had a wonderful time and many adventures! Swimming, snorkeling, waterfalls, horseback rides, rainforest walks (that tree frog looks like a National Geographic - but that was taken on my phone!), and more,” she captioned the post. Here’s how the actress is looking and feeling her best after decades on screen.

1. Yoga and Weights

McKellar focuses on exercises that make her feel better and build strength. “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,” she says. “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.”

2. No Processed Foods

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McKellar avoids highly processed, unhealthy foods as much as possible. “For my diet, there are lots of things I pay attention to,” she says. “It’s rare that I go on a ‘diet’ per se, but in everyday life I have certain guidelines that keep me from having to 'diet': NOTHING artificial, no artificial sweeteners or colors. 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.”

3. Math Degree

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McKellar has a math degree from UCLA and encourages all young women to appreciate math. “By developing your smarts, you become more powerful and you make better choices,” she says. “Being a smart and savvy woman gives you more opportunity. Aspire to be a fabulous-looking woman on Wall Street with your important job. That’s the image I’m giving girls. Be glamorous — but that’s the icing on the cake. That’s the decoration.”

4. No Gluten, Lots of Protein

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McKellar avoids gluten and focuses on whole foods with plenty of protein. “I mostly avoid gluten, so instead of bread, I eat rice cakes made from brown rice,” she says. “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!). For dinner, at least a few times a week, I eat brown rice, steamed veggies sprinkled with olive oil, and simple, baked chicken, seasoned with onion powder, salt & pepper. Add a little salt and olive oil to that rice & veggies, and it’s yummy!”

5. Ice Baths After Dancing

McKellar swore by ice baths when she was on Dancing With the Stars. “I don’t do any kind of exercise regularly except for yoga and things that are slow and not cardio-based,” she said. “I’ve been taking ice baths every single night. Hot shower, ice bath – I’ve been going back and forth between the two. It has made all the difference in the world. It has, like, seriously saved me. It’s very unpleasant, but it’s worth it.”

1. Dealing With Shyness

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Anderson credits acting with helping her to get over crippling shyness and anxiety as a child. “I was terrifyingly shy as a child to the point where my younger sister would ask questions for me,” she says. “I would actually tap her on the shoulder and get her to ask my questions for me. I was very, very nervous about talking to people in general. So for me, acting started at a young age. My parents put us in a local music festival. We did poetry, monologues, and Shakespeare from the time I was around ten. And I found that there was a freedom I experienced with acting and using someone else’s words that I hadn’t felt before. I found that it was liberating for me and it encouraged me to help me come out of my shell and take on different roles.”

2. Outdoorsy Canadian

Anderson loves the outdoors, having grown up on Vancouver Island. “It’s an incredibly idyllic place to grow up,” she says. “I grew up on a farm. It was a beautiful way to grow up. Then I moved to Toronto, and it was a totally different world. Yeah, I miss it. I definitely took it for granted and wish I would have explored more and everything, but that’s the beauty of being able to go home is that it’s there, and you can always go back and take it in. Yeah, it’s a remarkable place. It’s stunning, and the people are kind. There’s just beauty at every turn.”

3. Hawaiian Lifestyle

Anderson takes full advantage of the gorgeous Hawaiian landscape and lifestyle. “We’re both getting into surfing here, so I think we’re both trying to figure it out,” she says. “It’s a big shift from Toronto, but we’re making the most out of it. Hiking, surfing, I think we maybe might take a sailing class here or there. But, yeah, just trying to embrace it. The water is so beautiful, and the surfing is unreal. We went to the North Shore last year for the surf competitions and watched these surfers from all over the world, and lots from Hawaii just go on these waves. You have to have just an insane amount of respect for them. It’s a pretty wild place to see.”

4. Daredevil Dreams

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Anderson would love the chance to do her own stunts. “I’m like a daredevil — well, I say that but I haven’t done a lot of crazy things,” she says. “But the thing is they won’t let us. I want to do the skydiving and all that stuff, but they won’t let [me]. I’ll have to do it behind their backs, secretly, maybe.”

5. Hallmark Christmas Star

Anderson is also a big Hallmark Christmas star, and watches the movies every year. “So I’m in my PJs with a cup of coffee, and it’s a morning thing,” she says. “My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law are huge, huge Hallmark fans and so they’ve always sort of recorded it from the night before, and then we wake up in the morning, and we’ll watch a Hallmark movie. We’re all kind of settling down and have had our breakfasts and are just sort of mellowing out on a Sunday or something and watching it. It’s sort of that kind of cozy vibe.”