Danica Patrick in Bathing Suit Enjoys "Beach Day"

Danica Patrick is enjoying her final days of vacation. The race car driver shows off her fabulous figure in a swimsuit while on the beach in her latest social media snap. "Last day," she captioned one of her Instagram photos. How does the 40-year-old manage to look half her age? Read on to see 7 of Danica Patrick's top suggestions 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!

Danica chooses lifestyle over diet. "What I'm hoping is that people realize that this is a lifestyle," she explained on Good Morning America. "I want them to develop a good relationship with food and exercise to not be a reward or punishment but a way of life and something that makes you feel good and something that makes you a better you every single day." 

Danica eats her way to health. "You are creating your life day by day with your thoughts. Think positive things. Believe in yourself. Have great reasons for why you're doing what you're doing," She explained to Fitness Reaper. "Eat good food because food is medicine. You're either adding to your well-being or reducing your well-being."

Danica first dabbled in the Paleo diet as a temporary fix, and then decided to stick with it. "Paleo is based on the idea that you only eat foods that were available to ancient man before the invention of agriculture. So no grains, no dairy, no beans or legumes, no added sugars or preservatives. Instead, you focus on naturally raised meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts," she said on her website. "My intention was to only do it for a week or two to reset my body with less sugar and more veggies. Well . . . I felt so good, and saw such amazing results, that I never quit."

Exercise is a key part of Danica's life. Her book, Pretty Intense, is "not about driving, it's about becoming the best version of myself," she explained in an interview Rich Roll. "The only thing that I would put toward being a better driver is that with the style of working out that I do, with the intensity level and competition at times, it makes you mentally stronger, and that translates" to driving competitions. She also revealed that she does "7 workouts each week—upper body, lower body, abs, 3 interval cardio sessions, and one long circuit. They are all designed to be intense and over within about 20 min, except for the long circuit which will last about 30-45."

Danica loves green juice and makes her own at home. "I'll put three big handfuls of spinach in the blender, and only enough ice and water to get the spinach to make [the blades] spin," she explained to Delish. "The colder the ingredients, the better, so I like to use frozen fruit." She also adds one-third of a banana and a quarter of an apple, "so it doesn't get too sugary," per Delish and adds a lemon to "cut down on the drink's bitterness." "Take the seeds and skin off the lemon, and just toss it in," she says. "It really helps the flavor."

Danica makes lower-sugar alternatives to refrigerator staples, including ketchup and almond milk. "I like the taste of homemade almond milk better," she told Delish. "It's thicker and probably fattier, but it has a more full-bodied taste."

​​Danica is a big meat eater. Her meals consist mostly of protein and veggies, including salmon, chicken, steak, and  bison. "I made bison burgers recently and they were a hit," she told Delish. "I tend to get more creative at night when I'm cooking."