Kelly Ripa in Bathing Suit Celebrates "Cinco de Mayo"

Kelly Ripa is a cultural icon. She started out as an actress, appearing on soap operas like All My Children, and the sitcom Hope & Faith. She was also picked to be Regis Philbin's new co-host on Live, and has hosted the show since 2001. Ripa is also a bit of a fitness icon, with her signature blonde hair and petite figure. Over the summer, Ripa posed in a swimsuit on the beach alongside her husband, actor Mark Consuelos. Read on to see 5 ways Kelly Ripa 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’s on The Alkaline Diet

On an episode of Live with Kelly & Ryan, Ripa revealed that she’s on the Alkaline Diet, which involves eating foods that affect your body’s pH. "It has changed my life... I swear I think it's responsible for me not being in pain," she said.

2. She Eats Clean

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Ripa tells ABC News that she makes sure to eat healthy, and avoids processed foods. "I eat a very clean diet. I have lots of vegetables, I eat protein, but I really don't put a ton of thought into it. It's everything you've read about or heard about in any diet book – don't eat too much crap, and I don't.”

3. She Eats A Late Breakfast

Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Being the host of a morning talk show means having to get up early, and this can mean having to eat early. However, Ripa tells Bon Appetit that she doesn’t eat breakfast before shooting her show. "I never eat breakfast until after the show. I can't seem to focus my mind if my stomach is digesting.”

4. She Quit Drinking

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

During a 2017 episode of Live with Kelly & Ryan, Ripa revealed that she had quit drinking in a humorous way. "They're saying that Americans bought less wine last year," Ripa said. "It's the first drop in a quarter of a century. Now, I believe this is because I quit drinking, that I caused this dip. I have influenced the market."

5. She Eats Healthy Snacks

Shutterstock

Ripa tells Good Housekeeping that she makes sure to eat healthy, even when it comes to her snacking. "After work, I'll have a protein bar and some flaxseed snacks... For a snack, I always have Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. I cannot give them up."

Kelly Ripa celebrated Cinco de Mayo by sharing a bunch of throwback swimsuit snaps with her millions of followers. The 51-year-old, who frequents Mexico often with her longtime husband, Mark Consuelos, looked fabulously fit in the series of snaps. How does she manage to look half her age? Read on to see 7 of Kelly Ripa’s top do's and don’ts of 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 Bikini Photos!

1. Don’t Skip a Workout

Kelly Ripa/Instagram

Kelly is extremely disciplined with exercise, recently telling Yahoo’s In the Know that she never skips a day. “I work out seven days a week. And I try to workout an hour and a half a day, no matter what — whether I’m working or not,” Ripa shared with us. “If I’m working, maybe I’ll start it a little bit later or a little bit earlier, depending on what day of the week it is. But I am very religious about my fitness.”

2. Do Exercise for Energy

Kelly Ripa/Instagram

“I think that energy begets energy,” she told ITK. “There are people that say, ‘You must hate working out!’ It’s going to be so hard to push your way through [with that attitude], and I love working out. But it’s like developing a love for anything: You have to really practice it to love it. And, so, I found that years ago I really figured out that the more energy I put into the gym or left on the dance floor, the more energy came back to me.”

3. Don’t Drink Alcohol

Kelly Ripa/Instagram

In 2020 Kelly revealed that she and Mark had quit drinking, which contributes to their "healthy lifestyle,” she explained to Parade. "We did both quit drinking almost three years ago. Not that we were sitting around drinking day and night, but I think that there is something about like clean living—maybe that's what did it. Maybe that's the difference."

4. Do Follow a High-Alkaline Diet

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Kelly told People that she swears by a high-alkaline diet, and that the low-acid meal plan is “responsible for [her] not being in pain.” “I actually eat much more on this cleanse than I do in my actual life, but it’s what you eat and how you eat it,” she said.

5. Do Eat More Plant-Based Food

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

As part of her healthy eating plan, she shies away from animal products. “I like to drink coffee. I occasionally will have fish. The alkaline diet is primarily a vegan diet, but I like cream in my coffee. I like to have a glass of wine. So I don’t adhere to it strictly, but when I do a cleanse, it will be seven days, and then I go back to my normal life. But my normal life, like I said, is not that different than the alkaline cleanse,” she told People.

6. Do Start the Day with a Healthy Drink

Noam Galai/Getty Images

Ripa revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that she starts her morning out with a unique cocktail, a glass of Get off Your Acid's Daily Greens mixed with water, a mug of coffee and ghee, paired with personalized Persona supplements she dubs her "foundational vitamin."

7. Don’t Do the Same Workout Over and Over

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Kelly does a dance-cardio class AKT four days a week, SoulCycle two and hits the pavement one day, she told People. “I love the dance class,” she said. “Because I think I’ve aged out of going clubbing, really, that’s my nightclub. Everybody there is my age, so it’s like a bunch of us old ladies working out.”