Chanelle Hayes in Bathing Suit Says "Happy International Women’s Day"

Chanelle Hayes is celebrating women! The Big Brother star shows off her slimmed-down figure in a new video in honor of International Women’s Day. “Happy International Women’s Day! No matter what our circumstances, our joys, our dreams, our past, our future. We are women, we are worthy, we should be celebrated just as we are,” she captioned the body confident Instagram post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Chanelle Hayes 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 Cycles

Chanelle loves riding bikes. The Cleveland Clinic explains that biking, a low-impact aerobic exercise, is great for building muscle, improving strength and flexibility, and improving balance. It can also boost mental health and help other health conditions, including arthritis.

2. She Had Gastric Bypass Surgery

After struggling with her weight for many years, Chanelle opted to have weight loss surgery. She recently shared some lessons she learned from it. “5 lessons I have learnt since having weight loss surgery,” she captioned the post. “1. It does not change my relationship with food. Bariatric surgery is only a tool, if I don’t use it consistently and correctly it will fail. Addressing abnormal relationships with food is so important if I want to become healthier physically and mentally. 2. Not everyone will understand my choice and that’s ok because it is MY journey. “Just eat less and move more”, “you’ve taken the easy option”, are a few comments I’ve heard along the way. Believe me, it is not easy (wish it was!) and it was not an option I took lightly. But it has been the best decision I’ve made in terms of my health. 3. Exercise is different now. I’ve always enjoyed working out (I’m actually a qualified PT, crazy as this may seem) but I actually feel proud to exercise and improve my body after all the junk I’ve been feeding it all these years. It’s my way of saying “hey body, I’m sorry for abusing you...here’s an olive branch” (or a dumbbell). 4. Weight looks different on everybody. I am trying to stop focussing on other people’s weights because my only competitor is myself. Ten people could weigh exactly the same but have completely different body compositions. Selfishly (but thankfully) I now only care about myself and mine. 5. Even though I’ve lost weight, I’ve grown as a person. I have been every size you can think of and can empathise with the issues that come with them all. I realise people may plaster on a smile - at any size - but not be ok beneath the surface. Going through this experience has really given me a better understanding of private struggles and how easy it is to hide them.”

3. She Eats, Clean, “Gorgeous,” Meals

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Chanelle eats low-carb, but fulfilling meals. For breakfast she might have a bacon, sundried tomato and feta omelette, with spinach avocado and cherry tomato salad. For lunch, a grilled fillet of salmon with a low carb salad. “Plenty of healthy, necessary fats in this one. Plus it’s absolutely gorgeous,” she said. An early dinner, chicken breast, spinach, rocket, watercress, pine nuts, feta, tomatoes, green beans, lemon juice. “Summery and beaut,” she wrote.

4. She Meal Preps

Chanelle is also a big proponent of meal prepping. Many nutritionists and personal trainers recommend meal prep, as it makes it easier to eat healthy and avoid takeout or grabbing other unhealthy food in your home.

5. She Stays Active with Her Kids

Chanelle also stays active with the help of her kids. “Last weekend I took the kids trampolining, next week we are going swimming,” she wrote in one of her posts, adding that if she hadn’t undergone gastric bypass she wouldn’t be able to. “None of these activities were something I could have done before. Partly, because I felt so much shame I didn’t want to embarrass them but partly because I knew I would be in agony for days afterwards.”