Mallika Sherawat in Bathing Suit Has "Little Bit of Pool Time"

Indian actress Mallika Sherawat is enjoying a break from her busy schedule to get some much-needed R&R. Sherawat posted pictures of herself wearing a black swimsuit, relaxing in a beautiful pool. "Little bit of pool time 🙂 💦💧," she captioned the post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Sherawat 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!

Sherawat is a long time practitioner of Iyengar yoga. "It has been five to six years since I have been doing Iyengar yoga," she says. "I love it because it is based on alignment of the body and is very good for your mental health, too. It is like meditation; it is a great stress reliever and promotes positive inflow, which I really enjoy. That's the main reason I do Iyengar yoga; the physical benefits are secondary. Today there is one form of yoga which I call the fashion yoga. They play loud music and do yoga. That is not the real practice. The real practice is going within yourself. One shouldn't do yoga with loud music and mirrors around as it distracts the senses. For me, Iyengar yoga works the best."

Sherawat makes sure to get eight hours of sleep every night. "Sleep is important because being awake is important," says pulmonologist and sleep disorders specialist Samuel Gurevich, MD. "And one or two nights of bad sleep can impair your ability to function well the next day. The body and brain recuperate quite well from one or two sleepless nights. But if it stretches into a month or more, that can have lasting impacts on your heart health, mental health and cognitive abilities."df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Sherawat follows a plant-based diet. "I was always a vegetarian and for the last 10 years I have been a vegan," she says. "I think what our grandparents used to eat was real food, full of nutrition. Now there is so much pollution and pesticides; the quality of food has gone down. We have to be careful about what we consume nutrition-wise. I eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, green juices and nuts. I prefer nuts as snacks and strictly avoid gluten."

Sherawat doesn't really eat a lot of sweets, but she enjoys dates for dessert. "Dates are a rich source of protective plant compounds which have antioxidant properties," says registered nutritionist Nicole Shubrook. "These include polyphenols, carotenoids and lignans, which have been shown to help manage the risk of chronic disease."

Sherawat enjoys organic green juices. "Consider blending instead of juicing," says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD. "Blending the edible parts of fruits and vegetables produces a drink that contains more healthy phytonutrients and fiber. Fiber can help you feel full. If you try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at once; harmful bacteria can grow quickly in freshly squeezed juice. If you buy commercially produced fresh juice, select a pasteurized product."