Laverne Cox Rocks Bikini in “Trans Is Beautiful” Post

Actress and activist Laverne Cox just posted a video on her Instagram of her in a black bikini, that shows off her incredible figure. Cox captioned the video: “On second thought, forward motion only. #TransIsBeautiful. This was just going to be for my man but sharing is caring.” Read on to see five ways Laverne Cox 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 Bikini Photos!

1. She Isn’t Too Hard on Herself

Cox told InStyle that she grew up as a ballet dancer, and that this experience had her facing a lot of the prejudices of the ballet and fitness worlds. However, Cox now focuses on enjoying her fitness, and doesn’t put too much pressure on herself. “I'm not overachieving in fitness at the moment," Cox said at the time. "I'm doing it, it's not as high-level, but I like where I'm at with it now. It's fun, it's medicinal, and I'm not being hard on myself. I think studying classical ballet creates this thing where you just beat yourself up, and I'm not doing that right now."

2. She Gets Plenty of Rest

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images

Cox tells Health.com that the most important part of her wellness routine is getting a good night’s sleep. “Sleep is really crucial for me,” she says. “I know with a lot of busy people, sleep is the first thing to go. I’m here in New York this week and everyone’s like ‘You’re in New York, let’s get coffee,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m working, I’m going to need to sleep after that. That’s probably all I’ll have time for.’”

3. She Loves to Dance

Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images

Cox grew up dancing, and is still dancing today. In an interview with Health.com, Cox says that one of her favorite ways to exercise is dancing in her home. “Throughout the day it’s about putting on some music and dancing,” she says. “I love karaoke when I can fit it in, and it is crucial. It’s so cathartic to me, just like getting in a room with a friend and screaming into a microphone and dancing. It’s a release. You have to get the energy out.”

4. She Avoids Certain Foods

Randy Shropshire/Getty Images

In a piece for The New York Times, Cox revealed some of her wellness secrets, including her diet. Cox says she tries to eat healthy, and has a unique diet. Cox writes, “Meat, sugar and dairy are all really bad for my skin. I avoid gluten. I was vegan for four months last year, but then I did a food sensitivity blood work panel and found out I’m sensitive to soy. If you’re vegan and can’t eat soy, it gets real tricky. So I started eating fish again. I’m basically a gluten-free pescatarian, and then I go in and out of sugar and carbs.”

5. She Loves to Swim

Randy Shropshire/Getty Images

In a piece for The New York Times, Cox reveals that her condo has a pool, and she is taking advantage of it. Cox says, “I just moved into a condo, and we have a pool. It’s one of my main reasons for moving here, so I can swim.” Swimming has a lot of benefits, according to Connecticut-based trainer Lindsay Hiebert. “Swimming is great for the cardiovascular system, is low impact, and good for joints,” she says. “It involves the whole body.”

Actress and activist Laverne Cox recently posted a series of videos on Instagram about how her wig looked before and after going for a swim. But that isn’t what everyone’s talking about. Cox wore a black one-piece swimsuit with cutouts, and a sheer black robe. Cox recieved a lot of compliments about her figure. Read on to see six ways Laverne Cox 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 Bikini Photos!

1. She Knows Her Worth

Cox tells Health.com that she has a mantra from Brene Brown that she uses through her life and for her self-care. "My mantra is that I can move through life’s challenges and not place my worthiness on the line," says Cox. "Worthiness is a birthright. So I am going to go through life’s challenges without my worthiness on the table. They don’t get to have my worthiness, that is God-given."

2. She Gets Enough Sleep

Jared Siskin/Getty Images

Cox has a very busy schedule, however, she tries not to let it affect her sleep schedule. “Sleep is really crucial for me,” she says to Health.com. “I know with a lot of busy people, sleep is the first thing to go. I’m here in New York this week and everyone’s like ‘You’re in New York, let’s get coffee,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m working, I’m going to need to sleep after that. That’s probably all I’ll have time for.’”

3. She Dances

Cox has a background in dance, and even used to work as a drag performer prior to her breakout role in Orange is the New Black. Cox says to Health.com, that she loves to dance around her house as often as she can. “Throughout the day it’s about putting on some music and dancing,” she says. “I love karaoke when I can fit it in, and it is crucial. It’s so cathartic to me, just like getting in a room with a friend and screaming into a microphone and dancing. It’s a release. You have to get the energy out.”

4. She Does Charity Work

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Cox tells Health.com that an aspect of her self-care routine is doing projects that promote her values. She is known for her activism in the trans community and partners with HIV medicine services. “I have to say, though, when I’m engaged in work that makes me feel connected to purpose, to an energy that’s bigger than me where I’m doing something of service, I feel my best,” she explains. “These projects really makes me feel good, being able to spread the word to lift up individuals and causes that are bigger than me. The best self-care is to find a way to be of service."

5. She Briefly Went Vegan

Shutterstock

In 2017, Cox announced on Instagram that she had been vegan for 12 weeks. “It’s only been 12 weeks for me, but I feel so much better,” she wrote in the caption. However, Cox stopped being vegan due to finding out she had a soy sensitivity. However, she does still eat healthy, and recently did a video with Tabitha Brown, where they made vegan meals.

6. She Practices Self-Love

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Cox says that she makes sure to love herself and her body, and she always tells herself that. “I think it's important to be able to be like, ‘Yes, your shoulders are broad, yes your hands are big and your voice is deep and you're really tall and people notice you, and that makes you noticeably trans, but that doesn't make you any less beautiful,’” she says to Self. “You're not beautiful despite those things, you're beautiful because of those things, and [believing] that has to be an active conscious process.”

Actress and activist Laverne Cox has become known for showing off her figure on Instagram. She’s posted both swimsuit photos and videos of her dancing or modeling a new swimsuit. Cox recently posted another dancing video on Instagram from a recent vacation. She captioned the video, “There was something about being in Mexico that made me dance 24/7.” Read on to see 5 ways Laverne Cox 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 Bikini Photos!

1. She Dances

Cox posts a lot of videos of her dancing on Instagram, and is open about her love and experience with dancing. Cox has dance experience and previously worked as a drag performer before making it as an actress. In this video, Cox is seen dancing in heels, and she captioned the post, “Oh I haven't been dancing and definitely not dancing in heels lately. It felt good this day to do a little two step. I definitely need to work my stamina back up and find my full groove again. I'm forever a work in progress. And you definitely need to swipe for that third slide. Shout out to @nicolescherzinger for the inspiration.”

2. She Swims A Lot

Patricia Schlein/Star Max/GC Images

Cox loves to swim and posts a lot of photos and videos of herself enjoying time in the pool. Cox posted this reel of herself enjoying the pool with the caption, “Vacation’s all I ever wanted.” Cox revealed in The New York Times that she doesn’t just swim on vacation. “I just moved into a condo, and we have a pool. It’s one of my main reasons for moving here, so I can swim.”

3. She Eats Healthy

Shutterstock

Cox revealed her diet in an interview with The New York Times. She says that she tries to eat healthy, and avoids some specific foods. She states, “Meat, sugar and dairy are all really bad for my skin. I avoid gluten.”

4. She Was Previously Vegan & Eats Pescatarian

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

In 2017, Cox revealed on Instagram that she was trying a vegan diet. “It’s only been 12 weeks for me, but I feel so much better,” she said at the time. However, she revealed in a New York Times piece the following year that she was no longer vegan. “I was vegan for four months last year, but then I did a food sensitivity blood work panel and found out I’m sensitive to soy. If you’re vegan and can’t eat soy, it gets real tricky.” Cox later says that she has decided to adopt a pescatarian diet, and avoids gluten. “I started eating fish again. I’m basically a gluten-free pescatarian, and then I go in and out of sugar and carbs.”

5. She Takes Care Of Herself

Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for ESSENCE

Cox is open about practicing self-love and acceptance. In a recent Instagram post, Cox revealed that her mental state hasn’t always been great recently, that the pressures of social media are affecting her, and that she’s working on herself. She wrote, “I have to practice feeling free. The shame, the self judgement, the perfectionism are so hardwired I have to practice freeing myself of those things and creating new wiring in my nervous system daily. I carefully curate what I post here and I am very particular about how I look. At a photoshoot yesterday I picked myself apart in vicious, brutal ways. I said these things jokingly on set out loud for the entire set to hear them. Even jokingly this negative picking myself apart took a toll on me.” She continued, “It's important to note that I know I get messages and comments from all of you everyday telling me how beautiful I am. Thank you! Some days I'm able to receive it and truly believe you. Other days I just can't receive it. My therapist Jennifer Burton Flier recently said on my podcast that we are teflon for the positive and velcro for the negative. A day at a time all I can do is try to rewrite the story I'm telling myself so that a more resilient body replaces the shame and trauma body that's so deeply hardwired. I'm making progress. The fact that I had that aha moment in the car on the way home is a sign that my body is becoming more and more intolerant to abusive treatment. I wouldn't allow it from anyone else. That's progress. Now it's time to not allow it from myself, a day at a time.”