Ashanti in Bathing Suit Says Hi From Turks and Caicos

Ashanti is making the most of her Turks and Caicos getaway! The 41-year-old singer shared a few snaps from her vacation over the weekend, including one of herself, clad in an orange swimsuit, floating in the crystal clear ocean. How does she keep herself so phenomenally fit? Read on to see 10 of Ashanti's top tips 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!

Ashanti identifies as a pescatarian and her diet is super clean. "I cut out a lot of meat," she told People about how she recently revamped her lifestyle. "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." However, she notes that "to have balance, you have to eat clean and you have to work out," but also, "you have to allow yourself at least two cheat days so that it doesn't become too strict."

Ashanti is all about her workouts. "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. 

If you want a body like Ashanti you will have to hit the gym almost 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. 

Ashanti is "obsessed" with cycling. "I would try to do two classes in a day because I would sweat so much and I loved it!" she told Parents. 

Ashanti maintains that this modified plank is a gut-buster. "There is this new thing my trainer had me do the other day and it was so amazing. I don't know the exact name for it but you're in a plank so you're holding your body weight up with one side, your left side for instance. And then you take your right arm and you're pulling a weight towards you. So you're on the ground and you're pulling the weight. And I could feel everything tightening up on the sides, from my shoulder to my toes and I'm just like, 'Oh, this is something that's going to be really, really cool if I continue it,'' she told Parents.

There are exercises Ashanti hates, but she does them 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. 

"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!"

"I don't always feel like working out but finishing a gym session is the best feeling," Ashanti confessed to 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.'"

"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," she dished to Parents.  

Ashanti revealed to Black Doctor that she does regular colonics. "I'm going to be honest with you. This may be TMI but a great colonic does wonders. Wonders, I promise you," she said. "Colonics and squats and cut out fried foods."