Malvika Sharma in Bathing Suit is "Beautiful"

Indian actress Malvika Sharma is taking a break from her busy work schedule to enjoy some rest and relaxation at the beach—and of course, she's got the selfies to prove it. Sharma, 24, shared pictures of herself posing on the sand in a black bathing suit, her hair down across her shoulders against a background of beautiful ocean. "Beautiful," a fan commented.  How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Sharma stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

Sharma admits her on-set diet wasn't always healthy, so she would make up for it by going for evening runs after a long day of filming. "Running has this lovely way of improving almost every system we have in our body, and that's the nice thing of it being a weight-bearing activity," says Dr. Jane Thornton, a sport medicine physician and Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health at Western University. "And because of that, that means our bones are strengthened, muscles become stronger but it also affects our aerobic capacity."

Sharma starts the day by eating dates and drinking tea with regular milk and spices. "I think it has been doing wonders for my health," she says. "That is something I would suggest everyone should do in the morning. I'm a tea person, so the first thing I want in the morning is my chai." 

Sharma loves kickboxing sessions for the stress-busting benefits, and pole dancing for abs. The actress makes a point that she enjoys many different types of exercise to keep her happy and energized. "It requires a lot of core strength, it's so hard," she says of pole dancing. It's a combination of all the workouts I do, it's not a particular workout… I love everything." 

Sharma enjoys the incredible health benefits of regular Pilates sessions. "Pilates focuses on using intense concentration during exercises that are performed in slow, small sets and can be modified for any persons to participate (even those with limited mobility)," says Danielle Johnson, RDN, CDN. "The best approach to Pilates is a full body routine, targeting all the major muscle groups to promote unity within the body and everyday life."

Sharma swears by bitter melon juice (also known as bitter gourd) for a healthy, glowing complexion. Research shows bitter melon has benefits beyond just appearance. "In addition to being a food ingredient, bitter melon has also long been used as a herbal remedy for a range of ailments, including type 2 diabetes," says Diabetes UK. "The fruit contains at least three active substances with anti-diabetic properties, including charanti, which has been confirmed to have a blood glucose-lowering effect, vicine and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p."