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Lily James in Bathing Suit is on a "Magical Island"

Here’s how she stays so fit.

Lily James is making magic in her swimsuit while vacationing in the Maldives. The English actress shows off her famous figure in a bathing suit in one of her latest social media posts. "Magical island. @joalibeing I could have stayed forever 🌊💙 #wellbeing," she captioned the series of snaps taken during their getaway on the tropical island. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Lily James 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 Trains Like It Is Her Job

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To get into Pamela Anderson shape for Pam and Tommy, Lily trained like it was her job. "I worked with this amazing trainer, Matt Bevan, who worked with Daisy Ridley as well. He worked me so hard and I got really fit," she tells Entertainment Weekly. She did a mixture of running and boxing. "He would make me do all my work and reading my script on a running machine," she says "And I did boxing with a really cool guy in LA, which I loved too, being physically strong like I could literally beat someone up," she continued. "I felt really athletic, which I hadn't done for a long time and there was great confidence that came from that… I feel less self-conscious on a beach now. It was really wonderful to feel like that, to feel so in my own body."

2

She Lifts Weights

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To get into shape for Fast Girls in 2012, in which she played athlete Lisa Temple, she also trained hard, using a lot of weights. "It was very intense – we had about six weeks of training before the film even started," she tells Cosmopolitan UK. "We trained five times a week; running, circuits, weights, working out in the gym, and on the track. It was an insane time." She added: "When I first had to lift weights, do squats and run for ten minutes I was knackered and wanted to be sick."

3

She Works Out in the Morning

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Lily prefers morning workouts. J"I have found that starting my day with exercise is the key. When I work out regularly, I immediately feel the benefits. It's exciting to be empowered by that, and it turns into a domino effect. Naturally, I start eating better and stop drinking so much wine. Then I feel more energised in the morning to work out again," she tells Shape

4

She Does a Lot of Ab Work

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If you want flat abs like Lily, you are going to have to crunch for them. "I got really obsessed with sit-ups! Whenever the Director shouted 'cut!' I was there on the floor pounding them out", she tells Cosmo about Fast Girls. "We had to do like 600 different types of sit-ups a day so my stomach changed the most, you just end up looking healthier and stronger."

5

She Follows Strict Diets

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Lily also follows strict diets when prepping for roles. "On top of the fitness and the health, we also had a diet plan we had to follow which involved eating between five and six meals a day that were really high in protein, so that meant lots of protein shakes, fish, chicken and no cheating," she tells Cosmo about Fast Girls. 

6

She Rides Bikes

Lily loves riding bikes. "I also just started cycling again," James te;;s Shape. I cycled everywhere when I moved to London, until my bike got stolen. Then I started taking Ubers. Recently, I got my bike back, and that's been such a gift. It's my bit of freedom to ride without having any direction stuck in my mind. It helps me stop overthinking and just connect myself to the present." 

7

She Mixes Up Her Workouts

"In lockdown, I had to make exercising fun; otherwise I would lose interest," James told Shape. I switched up my normal yoga and Pilates for daily dance classes. Early on, I learned this fun dance routine and couldn't stop doing it. The next day, my neighbour called saying, 'Oh my God, Lily, you played that song for three and a half hours,'" Lily tells Shape. "Finding that fun is the main thing for me now. I know I have to stay fit, and I know working out is good for me. But when it actually makes me feel better, rather than just something I'm forcing myself to do, it's such a difference." 

Leah Groth
Leah Groth has decades of experience covering all things health, wellness and fitness related. Read more
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