Candice Swanepoel in Bathing Suit Takes "Stairway to Heaven"

Candice Swanepoel is not just a model, she’s an entrepreneur. Her brand of swimwear, Tropic of C, is worn by some of the world’s top celebs, including herself. “Stairway to heaven,” she captioned a recent photo shoot of her on the beach. “Beautiful,” said fellow model and Cannes superstar Charlbi Dean. “🔥🔥🔥,” commented skin care guru Joanna Czech. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Candice Swanepoel stays 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. She Prioritizes Being a Mom

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Candice has two children. “It’s such a crazy experience, pregnancy and giving birth,” she told Vogue. “You don't really feel normal until a year afterwards. You really don't feel like it's your body. The fact that we can create a human being and and do that, it makes you proud no matter how your body looks or how you're feeling… After my last show or event in Milan, I fly back to New York for two days to be with my kids. So it's kind of like, you sacrifice that day of rest in between the shows to be with my kids. Like other people are like, yeah, I'm gonna go and have a rest when I get home. But when I get home, it's like when the real work starts.”

2. It’s Been a Rollercoaster

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“As a little girl, I wanted to be a ballet dancer. When I was a bit older, around 15, I was scouted at a flea market with my mom. I mean I've been in the industry for 15 years. It's definitely funny. Now when I think about how it used to be, you know, back in the day, we definitely had a lot more privacy. Like people couldn't go on Instagram and see what you're doing. People had to talk about you and you won over the client and the crew job by job. Like it was word of mouth.” Now? “I've been able to support my family and travel to the most amazing places. And it's a crazy, crazy roller coaster for sure,” she told Vogue.

3. She Grew Up “Raw”

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“Growing up in South Africa was definitely very different,” she told Vogue. “I grew up on a farm. It was just very raw, very free. And I wish I could give my kids that same farm life, but I have a very different reality.”

4. She Uses Sunscreen Daily

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“Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time),” says the CDC. “The UV Index forecasts the strength of UV rays each day. If the UV index is 3 or higher in your area, protect your skin from too much exposure to the sun.”

5. Here’s Her Take on Makeup

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Candice wears a concealer, mixing in some oil to smooth it out. “Doing your makeup I think, it's a moment for yourself as a woman to just tune into you and make yourself feel good," she told Vogue. “I have some sun damage and markings from pregnancy. It's a normal thing that happens. So just to set that a little, I use this MAC Prep and Prime. It's very lightweight. My skin is oily so, the shine comes through really quickly.”

Candice Swanepoel is 33 and thriving. The South African model posted a gorgeous series of pictures of herself swimming underwater in a black one-piece bathing suit, captioning the shots “..and with libra season comes an ocean of emotion 🌊 ⚖️.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Swanepoel stays 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. Beauty Smoothies For Breakfast

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Breakfast for Swanepoel is usually eggs and bacon or a delicious smoothie. “My breakfast varies depending on my mood. I do a nice beauty smoothie,” she tells The Cut. It contains coconut oil, flaxseed oil, banana, protein, some kind of antioxidant fruit like blueberries or strawberries, or some nut butter. I discovered it from doing research; I like to be on beauty blogs. I’ve always loved nutrition and because I’ve worked out for so many years, I’ve figured out what’s best for my body and keeping my energy up. It’s evolved from that.”

2. She Loves Yoga

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Swanepoel doesn’t see exercise as a burden—she believes it’s important to find a workout you love. “I really enjoy working out so, to relax, I’ll do a yoga or Pilates class,” she says. “What I love about yoga is that it helps both your mental and physical well-being. I also like unwinding by taking my dogs for a walk. When I can, I love to be surrounded by nature or swimming in the ocean.”

3. Keeping a Healthy Balance

Swanepoel knows the importance of balance in life. “To me, wellness is having a balanced lifestyle between personal and work,” she says. “It’s being happy and healthy. I don’t like restrict myself from certain foods that I want, or kill myself at the gym. It’s really what’s comfortable for my body at the time and what’s best at that moment.”

4. She Loves To Swim

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Swanepoel is an early bird, who loves the beach and swimming. “An ideal day would be to wake up quite early, make a nice breakfast, and take my time in the morning before taking my dogs for a walk, going to the beach, or having a quick swim,” she says. “I also love being at home, decorating, or FaceTiming with my family.”

5. She Loves Her Post-Baby Body

Swanepoel has two children—Anaca, 5, and Ariel, 4, and revels in her post-baby body. “You take on a different shape, a more womanly shape,” she says. “I’m loving it. I’ve had such an amazing experience with my pregnancy and afterwards. It’s quite a journey: the hormones, watching your body grow that way, giving yourself time to go back to normal. I think women have to stop putting so much pressure on having to be perfect and back in shape three weeks after. It's just not realistic. For me, it was about focusing on my son and it all just fell into place after that.”

Model Candice Swanepoel is not a stranger to revealing her body. She’s spent years as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and has posted photos on Instagram. This week, she posted a new swimwear photo from her recent beach vacation. Swanepoel wore a green top with a towel wrapped around her waist, as she posed on a tree. Read on to see 5 ways Candice Swanepoel stays 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. She Varies The Heaviness of Her Meals

Swanepoel’s diet involves her eating three meals a day. However, she tells InStyle that she will usually vary the heaviness of her meals. "It's all about balance for me. One meal in the day will be lighter than others, probably during lunch I will [eat something] heavier so that my body has time to burn it off. Night-time is something lighter, and I will always have a big breakfast."

2. She Has A Fast Metabolism

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3. She Knows Her Body Well

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An important part of staying healthy is knowing your body. How much exercise you can do, what foods work for you, etc. And Swanepoel says that she knows her body really well. The South African native told The Cut, “Your body is like a machine and everyone's is different. I know mine quite well."

4. She Works With A Personal Trainer

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Swanepoel is one of many Victoria’s Secret Angels who works out with personal trainer, Justin Gelband. And she says that she really love her sessions with him, and that he’s taught her a lot about wellness. “With Justin, it’s not only about getting you into shape by training,” she says to POPworkouts. “It’s everything in between. He has taught me so much about nutrition, health, and generally understanding how my body functions.”

5. She Circuit Trains Her Entire Body

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Swanepoel’s sessions with Gelband involve a lot of circuit training. Gelband tells POPworkouts that he focuses on training the entire body with the Victoria’s Secret Angels, and he does a lot of different types of exercises as well. “Most of the [Victoria's Secret] girls are concerned about their butt, hips and thighs. I devise a circuit class based on all the different body parts."