Nina Dobrev in Bathing Suit Gets Birthday Wishes

Happy birthday, Nina Dobrev! The Love Hard actress turned 33 over the weekend, with all of her celebrity friends celebrating her on social media. One of her BFFS, actress Zoey Deutch, even shared a photo of her friend looking fit-as-can-be rocking a black and white gingham swimsuit. How does the former Vampire Diaries star keep herself so fit? Read on to see 9 of Nina Dobrev’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. Fall in Love with Exercise

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Nina actually enjoys exercise, which clearly helps her motivate. "I just love working out," she told Women's Health. “The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults include aerobic activity and strength training in their fitness plans, specifically,” says the Mayo Clinic:

• “At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity
• Strength training exercises of all the major muscle groups at least twice a week.”

2. Maintain Variety with Workouts

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"Doing something different [each day] has been the most fun, and I've seen the most benefit because you shock your system,” Nina explained to Women’s Health. A few of her faves? Yoga, HIIT, and boxing. She also added to Shape that strength training has really made a difference. "I actually did not do a lot of [strength training] in the past-I only did yoga and ran in terms of training. Strength training with weights and such a regimented schedule has been new to my life, and now that I understand the way it all works, the science behind it, it's changed everything for me.”

3. Have a Home Gym

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Nina told Shape in October 2021 that having a place to work out at home is key. "I'm really proud of my home gym, I use it a lot. It's really nice to have that flexibility of working out, whether it's really early in the morning before I get to set, or really late at night when I get home from set, or after a long flight,” she said. Her gym is stocked with weights, a Pilates machine, NordicTrack Treadmill, and a SoulCycle at-home bike. "When I'm done shooting and I have to memorize the next day's work, I can sit on the bike with my script and exercise, and learn my lines for the next day," she said.

4. Do Outdoor Activities

Nina is all about staying active outdoors. Take a scroll through her Instagram feed and you can find her hiking, skiing and riding bikes.

5. Listen to Music During Your Workout

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"Music is a big part of my training and my life. Before I had a trainer I would go to the gym and go on the treadmill and whenever it was the chorus I would sprint and whenever it was not the chorus I would just jog. If there's a beat I can usually get into a groove and sense what's happening and if something burns I just plow through it because the music is what drives me,” she explained to Shape.

6. Exercise in the Morning

"You need to make a decision-do I want to look and feel a certain way and put the work into it? I see the difference so I make the time for it on set. I would wake up an hour earlier. Even though I was exhausted after a 12-hour day and did not want to work out, I did it because I always knew I would feel better after,” she told Shape. “I do it first thing when I wake up because then I can't make up an excuse for it, like being tired later on in the day. Because usually by 6 p.m. you're just like, I have no energy. I've done all the things I've done! I don't want to do anything else! I just get it done in the morning."

7. Drink Juices

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"When I'm sick or not feeling great, I'm all about the juices," she explained to Well+Good. "It seems like the worse the taste, the better it is for you, so I do ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, oregano oil—ugh, double ugh— lemon, everything." Sometimes she adds collagen peptides for an added protein boost.

8. Cheat on Occasion

Nina recently dished to Wired about her diet, revealing that cheating is a big part of her weekely menu. “I eat a lot of things. I eat healthy some days. I eat really bad some other days. I eat all kinds of yummy, like vegan burgers. I like making gluten-free pastas. I like cooking a lot, which is fun and also time consuming, but it feels sort of like, it's a great way for me to unwind at the end of the day,” she said.

9. Control Portions

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"I used to eat three full meals and then I would not be able to move after each meal. I would be so full and tired. Now, I eat all the time but portion control is what's important for me-I'm eating more in total but not more at a time,” she told Shape. “Basically, I aim to have the size of my thumb in fat, the size of my palm in protein, and then unlimited veggies. I wish I'd learned this in school."