British actress Helen Flanagan is enjoying some child-free time while on vacation in beautiful Barbados, in the Caribbean. Flanagan, 32, took advantage of her alone time by sharing pictures of herself posing in a yellow bikini and printed pants, with white sandals and black sunglasses. “When the kids are at kids club… 📸✨💗,” she captioned the post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Flanagan stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
1. Postpartum Workouts
Flanagan worked hard to regain her physique after having children. “The only workout I do is my Mumma Fit programme – plus racing around after Matilda and Delilah! I stick in on my phone at home, and within 20 minutes I’m all finished!” she says. “I like the resistance band exercises – they work the muscles – and the Mumma Calm section is terrific for helping restore balance. All mums know this is often easier said than done! I don’t have time for the gym, so the workout’s perfect for me.”
2. No More Dieting
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Flanagan refuses to diet, instead enjoying a balanced diet with room for treats. “Breakfast is usually a Starbucks’ Hazelnut latte and a skinny muffin, lunch is probably a roast chicken wrap and dinner will be a Nando’s or I might cook pasta,” she says. “I snack on sweets for the sugar because I’m always running around – I love jelly babies or jellied snakes. I gave up dieting two years ago. When I was younger I was completely obsessed with dieting – this diet, that diet – and now I look back and think I was really stupid, I lost far too much weight and got really obsessed with it.”
3. Always On the Move
Flanagan lives a very active lifestyle, and doesn’t just rely on workouts to stay fit and in shape. “I’m always racing around,” she says. “I find it hard to chill out and I think that probably keeps me in shape. I’d feel guilty putting my feet up. I’m quite highly strung like that.”
4. She Loves To Cook
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Flanagan has learned to enjoy cooking at home. “My speciality is spaghetti Bolognese,” she says. “My little trick is to put a teaspoon of Marmite in with the tomato sauce, as I find it gives it a richness. I also love freshly-grated parmesan on top with a side portion of garlic bread. The cook-in-the-oven baguettes from Waitrose are the best. I don’t pretend to be the greatest cook in the universe, so when [ex-partner] Scott and I started dating, we always used to eat out a lot!”
5. Mediterranean Food
Flanagan’s favorite treat is a Mediterranean spread. “I really can’t think that every single night I can only eat fish, veg and potatoes,” she says. “That would be boring. My blow out would be a Nando’s hummus and pitta bread with Mediterranean chicken, mango and lime salad, and haloumi cheese. But my ultimate food indulgence is a Starbucks skinny ginger muffin.”