Ashanti in Bathing Suit is "Island Hoppin"

Ashanti is living her best life in the tropics, rocking her swimsuit, of course. The singer shared a bunch of photos to Instagram this week, showing off her fantastic figure in bathing suits as she enjoyed the sand and surf. “Island hoppin,” she captioned one of them. How does the 41-year-old maintain her fabulous physique? Read on to see 10 of Ashanti’s top do’s and don’ts for staying in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. Don’t Eat Too Much Meat

Ashanti, a pescatarian, maintains a clean diet. She recently made some changes to what she eats. “I cut out a lot of meat,” she told People. “I think again, self-health and self-awareness are so important. All of that stuff is so important to maintaining your body, knowing what’s in your food, the GMO’s and the chemicals, and I’m super aware of this stuff.”

2. Do Exercise

Ashanti is all about exercise. “When I’m home in NYC, I have a trainer, Raheem. We do weight training, cardio, running. I’m kind of a tomboy and I’m very competitive so I never want him to beat me. Sometimes he has me work on mobility, other times endurance, and then we’ll go for strength. I think it’s important to mix it up and hit different parts of your body. We’ll do the Stairmaster, lots of core work,” she told Parents.

3. Don’t Skip Workouts

Ashanti tries to work out daily. “I try to get four to five days in a week with my trainer. When I know I’m going for something specific, like preparing for a role, I try to definitely make it five. When I knew I was going down to Trinidad for carnival, for example, we had like two months. So I said, ‘Look, I have to be in this little itty bitty costume!’ We maybe missed a couple of days but I was really strict with that one,” she told Parents.

4. Do Try Spinning

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Ashanti is “obsessed” with spinning. “I would try to do two classes in a day because I would sweat so much and I loved it!” she told Parents. "Your pancreas is the organ that helps convert the food you eat for energy while also helping aid in digestion. Staying active helps improves blood sugar control, decreases stress on this vital organ and reduces your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. It also helps improves good cholesterol levels while lowering blood fats," says the Cleveland Clinic.

5. Don’t Deprive Yourself

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It's important “to have balance, you have to eat clean and you have to work out,” says Ashanti. However, “you have to allow yourself at least two cheat days so that it doesn’t become too strict,” she told People.

6. Do Burpees

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There is one exercise Ashanti hates, but does anyway. “I hate burpees! I cannot stand burpees but they are so good for you. And I remember this goes back all the way to middle school gym class where they would call them squat thrusts,” she told Parents.

7. Don’t Cheat When It Comes to Exercise

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“I definitely try to do stuff when I’m not with my trainer and he’s always paying attention to what I am or am not doing though,” she told Parents. “So for instance, I had a cheat day last Saturday morning so I had pancakes and he DMed me and he’s like, ‘What is that? Are you doing crunches after?’ When I’m not at home, he’ll text me a workout and I’ll try to get it done. I’ll try to do crunches and jump rope and pushups and stuff on my own. I try!”

8. Do Finish Your Workouts

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Ashanti refuses to quit a workout before she is done. “I don’t always feel like working out but finishing a gym session is the best feeling,” she told Parents. “ I did that like two weeks ago. I was l so out of it and I was like, ‘I don’t feel like it.’ We were in New York. It was raining. It was gloomy. It was cold. But I pushed myself and I went and I put it on my Insta stories and I’m laying on the floor in the gym and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I was so dead before I got here. And I’m even more tired now but I’m so proud of myself that I actually did the workout.’”

9. Do Drink Green Juice and Smoothies

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“I’m really into green juices. I’m glad I got one today! I’m actually drinking one now. And I’ll make a plant-based protein smoothie to snack on in between as well. I also like the No Cow bars. The raspberry one is the best,” Ashanti told Parents.

10. Do Try a Colonic

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“I’m going to be honest with you. This may be TMI but a great colonic does wonders. Wonders, I promise you,” she told Black Doctor. “Colonics and squats and cut out fried foods.”