Paige VanZant in Bathing Suit Shows "What the Fans See"

MMA fighter Paige VanZant just shared a humorous set of snaps on Instagram. In the first shot, VanZant posed in a pink bathing suit. In the others, she wore sweats in her house, and cuddled her dog. VanZant captioned the post, “What the fans see vs. what my man sees.” How does she stay in shape? Read on to see 5 ways Paige VanZant 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 Isn’t Afraid To Speak Up

VanZant isn’t afraid to speak up for herself, and she doesn’t let sexism hold her back. She tells The Guardian that she wants other women to feel the same. “That’s a big problem for women. We’re taught never to hurt men’s feelings. We need to teach women to stand up for themselves. When you get that voice inside that says, ‘No, stop,’ instead of worrying about hurting somebody’s feelings you need to listen to yourself: ‘Hey this is a bad situation. I need to go home and not feel sorry.’”

2. She’s An Advocate For Survivors

Shutterstock

In her memoir, VanZant revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault. She revealed this around the time the Me Too movement took off. VanZant tells The Guardian she wants to be an advocate for others who have been in the same situation“It was amazing it started right before my book came out. So I felt huge support and that I wasn’t doing this by myself. It felt liberating to get the story out but the pain doesn’t just go away. It’s also a hard lesson to learn. It's not your fault in these circumstances. I want to change that stigma. I want women to feel confident to speak up.”

3. She Uses Fighting To Feel Confident

For VanZant, fighting isn’t just her job, it’s also a way for her to feel more confident with herself. She tells The Guardian that fighting helped pull her out of a dark place. “I just started training to lift myself. I was a hidden, shy, timid person and I fell into it. I felt like I was adopted into this family at my first gym. I then had my first fight and when I won, I discovered I mattered. Before then, I was stuck in that victim mindset. In fighting, I found a purpose and that my presence on earth matters.”

4. She’s Grateful

VanZant has been subjected to social media haters, but she doesn’t let them get her down. “It is hard because there’s so much negative stuff on social media,” she tells The Guardia. Even now, I get depressed. I haven’t been able to train the last seven months because of my arm and I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel. But each day I count all the amazing things in my life.”

5. She Trains Hard Before Fights

VanZant has to train on a consistent basis. She revealed some of her workout secrets in an interview with Vogue. She says that she amps up her gym time when she has a fight coming up. “When I gear up for a fight I try to cut out a lot of the fun outdoorsy workouts and do a lot more training in the gym,” she says. “I do more cardio, and I run a lot if I can. I do a lot more sparring and more combat throughout the week.”