Michelle Keegan in Bathing Suit "Misses 1st Lockdown"

Michelle Keegan is missing the laid back lifestyle of the early pandemic days. Over the weekend, the British star shared a photo of herself taken in her backyard, doing a jigsaw puzzle in her bathing suit alongside her pooch. “Who else misses the 1st lockdown?” she captioned the Instagram Stories image. How does the actress keep herself so fit? Read on to see 6 of Michelle Keegan’s top tips for 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 Bathing Suit Photos!

1. Don’t Punish Yourself

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Michelle tries not to view exercise as punishment. "If I really, really don’t want to go - I don’t go," she told Cosmopolitan UK. Her goal is to break a sweat three times a week for 45 minutes, but sometimes she skips her workouts. "I just don’t punish myself, it’s not, like, my life to go to the gym. If I can go to the gym I will, if I can’t, I can’t," she said. "I think the more you go, the more you guilt trip yourself because you feel like it’s part of your routine. If I can go four or five times a week, great. If I can only go twice - or once - at least I’ve been."

2. Load Up on Carbs Earlier in the Day

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Michelle fuels herself up with carbohydrates earlier in the day. "I try not to eat carbs late at night," she told Cosmopolitan. "I hate that feeling of feeling really full before going to bed."

3. Focus on Strength Training

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"I hate cardio. I just hate that feeling of not being able to breathe," Michelle revealed to Cosmopolitan. "A few years ago I would have done about 40 minutes of cardio, whereas now I feel like the more I do weights, the more I see a change in my body. For my body, weight training is better for me. I do alternative days, so one day I’ll focus on my legs, and the next day I’ll focus on my arms.”

4. Mix Up Your Workouts

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An easy way to infuse excitement into exercise? Mix things up a bit. "I never do the same thing. I change it up all the time," Michelle explained to Cosmopolitan. "I’ve started doing HIIT exercises before I do any weights now, and I actually really enjoy [it] because I feel like I’ve done something. I’ve sweated before I’ve even got onto the weights." For inspiration, she even puts on different HIIT workouts on YouTube.

5. Avoid Red Meat

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You won’t find Michelle eating red meat. "I’ve never really liked the taste, ever," she told Cosmopolitan. "I’ve never been one to go out and have a steak, I’ve never craved it. Even with a roast dinner, if my mum would serve lamb or beef, I’d always leave it to the side. A few years ago I did a photoshoot with a lamb and that just threw me, it put me off lamb." She also avoids most dairy products. "It's hard because I like cheese, but I’m trying not to have any milk in my coffee so I’m using alternative products like coconut milk and almond milk," she explained.

6. Let Yourself Cheat

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Michelle is all about the occasional cheat meal. "I love a good cheeseboard, I also love a Chinese on a Saturday night," she told Cosmopolitan. "I never feel guilty when I eat cheat food because if I’ve been quite strict all week, I feel like I deserve it. I never feel guilty if I eat a cheat meal. I’m a proper foodie, I love my food."