Erica Mena in Bathing Suit is a "Glowing Goddess"

Erica Mena is a music and reality TV icon. She’s best known for her long stint on the hit series Love and Hip Hop. She’s also not afraid of showing off her body. Mena just shared a throwback summer video on Instagram. In it, she lounged on a chair in the sun. She wore a bright orange bathing suit, her amazing body on display. Mena captioned the video, “I stacked up ALL summer 2022, and wore these @fashionnova swimsuits.” How does she stay fit? Read on to see 5 ways Erica Mena 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 Watched A Documentary

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In an interview with DJ Smallz Eyes, Mena opened up about her wellness. She says that she was inspired by a movie she watched to stay in shape. “Being in the gym and getting so [much] more into my health and how to build muscle, all the logistics of taking care of my body started to come into play," she said. "And then What The Health hit, and people were talking about it and I popped it in and watched it. In LA it’s easy to make that transition, doing the six months was easy.”

2. She Cooks

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Mena is an avid chef. She tells DJ Smallz Eyes that this helps her eat healthy, and helped her live a vegan lifestyle. “I love to cook, what made the transition fun for me was, ‘now I’m going to learn how to make all these vegan dishes!’ I made it fun! And I think that’s why I was able to last that long.”

3. She Isn’t Afraid Of What People Have To Say About Her

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Mena doesn’t care what people think of her, which is why she can put herself out there. She tells Parle Mag, “People are judgmental. Then I realized that you can be America’s sweetheart and they’re still going to come for your neck. You can’t win them all and you can’t worry about losing them either. It’s just about taking a chance and within taking that chance there’s really no regrets. I’d rather have the regret of doing it, than having the regret of not doing it and wishing I did.”

4. She’s Healing From Her Past

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Mena has had a difficult past. She opened up about some of her struggles to Parle Mag. She says that she is starting to heal and grow from her trauma. “Now I appreciate them, because I’m going through the process of healing from them,” she says. “You kind of have to use it as a learning experience. Yeah, you have to appreciate them. It happened to me for whatever reason, but for a reason. Like I said, it definitely set the tone for how I move out in the world because it is brutal out here.”

5. She Separates Reality TV From Her Life

It can be difficult to be a reality star, however, Mena has figured out how to handle it. She tells Parle Mag that she has learned to separate her show from her actual life. “The good thing is that I learned, very quickly, that you have to separate the two. It’s very draining and if you let it, it will consume you. I’m a mother and at the same time I can deal with the craziness of being on a reality show and the drama.To be honest, at the end of the day, when I come home I have someone to answer to and lessons to teach so that he can one day avoid all my mistakes and become a better person. You have to separate the two because if not it will just consume your whole life and then there isn’t much to live for because everyone else is living for you.”

Maya Nazor says she wanted to be famous ever since she was a little girl, and it shows with her confidence in front of the camera. Nazor posted pictures of herself lounging on the ground, wearing a tiny black bathing suit that set off her bright red hair. “Hermosa,” commented one admirer. “Gracias hermosa♥️,” Nazor responded. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Nazor 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 Loves to Dance

One look at Nazor’s social media confirms her love of dance. “When you begin moving, you immediately release the brain chemicals dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins, causing a powerful and lasting effect I call ‘energized optimism,’” says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Joy of Movement. “The adrenaline makes you feel powerful, the dopamine generates hope, and the endorphins bring you joy. You’ve created this amazing cocktail that boosts your mood and energy, leads you to experience better social interactions, makes you more likely to progress on your goals, and lowers stress. So dancing doesn’t just make you feel great in the moment. It sets you up to be a better version of yourself.”

2. She Travels Around the World

Nazor is passionate about visiting new places. “Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms,” says Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School. “The key, critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion, and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment.”

3. Self-Confidence

Nazor says she was born to be in front of the camera, and feels confident about being an influencer. “The truth is, I’ve always enjoyed speaking a lot in front of the camera and I can speak easily. As a kid, I pretended I had a TV channel and my own program. It’s a way of expressing myself,” she says.

4. Post Baby Body

Nazor welcomed son Luka last summer, and embraced her post-baby body. "Remind yourself of the miracle you just performed," says Chaye McIntosh, clinical director at ChoicePoint Health in Fairlawn, New Jersey. "Remind yourself that the baby you are now holding in your arms is worth the stretch marks and belly pouch. Remind yourself that you are beautiful just the way you are. And remember that your baby needs a strong, self-assured, and dedicated parent—not just one with a flat tummy."

5. She Loves the Pool

Nazor enjoys being in the water, both in the swimming pool and in the ocean. “Research has shown that being near, in, on or under water can provide a long list of benefits for our mind and body, including lowering stress and anxiety, increasing an overall sense of well-being and happiness, a lower heart and breathing rate, and safe, better workouts,” says marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols.