Danica Patrick is celebrating her birthday! The race car driving legend, who turned 40 on March 25, shared a bunch of photos from her celebratory vacation with girlfriends to Instagram. In the images, she showed off her extremely fit figure. How does she approach health and wellness to look her very best? Read on to see 5 of Danica Patrick’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!
1. Make Healthy Living a Lifestyle
Danica doesn’t pick and choose when she is going to be healthy. "What I'm hoping is that people realize that this is a lifestyle," she said during an appearance 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."
2. Look at Food as Medicine
Danica Patrick / Instagram
Danica believes that a healthy relationship with food starts with intention. "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," Danica dished to Fitness Reaper. "Eat good food because food is medicine. You're either adding to your well-being or reducing your well-being."
3. Eat Live a Cavewoman
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On her website, Danica explains why she temporarily – and then permanently – switched to a Paleo diet. "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. "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."
4. Exercise Daily
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In her book Pretty Intense, Danica details her approach to healthy living. The book is "not about driving, it's about becoming the best version of myself," she told athlete and podcaster 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 details her exercise routine, which includes "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."
5. Drink Greens
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Danica loves green smoothies. "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," Patrick told Delish. "The colder the ingredients, the better, so I like to use frozen fruit." Then, she will add 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."
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