Imaray Ulloa has already stocked her wardrobe with summer clothes, which includes lots of swimsuits. Ulloa shared pictures of herself wearing a sparkly black bathing suit, posing at the Marco Island Marriott Resort and Spa in Florida. “Got my summer clothes from @iofashion_official 🖤👌,” she captioned the post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Ulloa 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. Resistance Bands
Ulloa uses resistance bands as part of her workout routine. "You can loop them around your legs or arms, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. Like weights, they have different resistances to make your workout easier or harder," says personal trainer Jen Skym. "Resistance bands recruit the 'stabilizer' muscles – this muscle group is significant because it supports our larger muscles and joints when we move, and helps reduce the risk of injury. So they are a safe and low-impact option for older people, and are often used for rehabilitation."
2. She Lifts Weights
Lifting weights is a crucial part of Ulloa’s workout regimen. “I’ve seen countless transformations from regimented resistance training. Not only from a body standpoint, but emotionally and mentally as well,” says Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, director of the Human Performance Lab at New York City’s Lehman College. “Resistance training creates force on the bone and helps it stay strong. Your body cares about survival, not looking cute in a bikini – it has to adapt to survive so it’ll get stronger and bones will get stronger to endure these forces.”
3. Kettlebell Workouts
Ulloa uses kettlebells to give her workouts an extra boost. Experts say using kettlebells can help improve posture. “With the weight in front of you, your back muscles have to straighten up more to counteract the force of the kettlebell pulling you forward,” says Nancy Capparelli, a senior physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
4. Ab Wheel Exercises
Ulloa uses the ab wheel as part of her exercise routine. “It's easy to forget the ab wheel, a classic ab-training implement that's been around for years,” says NASM-CPT certified trainer Brett Williams. “But this is a tool that you definitely want to make use of. Why? Because, perhaps more than any other core workout gadget, the ab wheel gives you a chance to train your entire core (abs, gluten, lower back muscles, and obliques) as a unit. Your core functions this way—as a unit—in real life, so any opportunity to train it that way is beneficial.”
5. Weighted Lunges
Ulloa does both weighted and non-weighted lunges. "Lunges work multiple larger muscle groups at the same time," says celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, creator of The Jillian Michaels Fitness App. "They build lower body strength and help to maintain muscle mass and bone density in the lower body."
Shutterstock