Shay Mitchell—star of Pretty Little Liars, Netflix’s You and the Hulu series Dollface—is finally chilling. “Perfect relaxation brought to you by Jamaica and Atlas’ afternoon nap,” she captioned a new Instagram photo of herself relaxing in a bathing suit, referencing her son Atlas. “The palm tree giving me shadow abs is a paid actor.” How does she stay so fit while keeping so busy? Read on to see 7 ways Shay Mitchell 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 Moves Her Body
“As long as you're moving your body, that's a workout,” says Mitchell to Bustle. “It doesn't have to involve lifting weights or following a specific fitness plan.” She added to Forbes: "Chasing after my one-year-old has also been a surprisingly great workout."
2. This is Her “Weird” Wellness Ritual
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“I end my showers with five to 10 seconds of freezing cold water, which not only wakes me up, [but] it’s doing something good for my skin — I wish I could tell you about all the amazing health benefits,” she told Bustle. In fact, cold water also soothes your vagus nerve and can relax you.
3. She's Very Into Salad
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“I need to learn to make something besides a salad. I don’t want Atlas to just know Postmates or UberEats. I want her in the kitchen helping me and knowing what’s going into our food,” she told Bustle. Her go-to salad toppings are “Kimchi and sauerkraut. I add microgreens, too, because it makes me feel like a chef, and it makes every dish look so fancy.”
4. She Had Prepartum Depression
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While growing Atlas, "I had prepartum [depression]. Not post, but pre," Mitchell told Self. “That was something I didn't know back then. I only knew [about] postpartum, so I was preparing myself for that. But then when I was upset and not feeling my best during [pregnancy], I was like, 'Wait, what's this? Nobody talked about this. I should be so happy right now.'"
5. She Does Planks
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Mitchell has shown off her plank walks. Try a modified one to start. “This core-strength exercise is called the modified plank,” says the Mayo Clinic. “Lie on your stomach. Raise yourself up so that you're resting on your forearms and your knees. Align your head and neck with your back, and place your shoulders directly above your elbows. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Create resistance by pressing your elbows and your knees toward one another. Neither should move from their positions on the floor. Hold for three deep breaths.
- Return to the start position and repeat.”
6. She Does Lunges
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"[Trainer] Harley [Pasternak] loves lunges, and I'm not the biggest fan of them," Mitchell told SELF during the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival with Pasternak, who she trains with. "He loves to see how many you can do, and I don't even know how long we went one time but it was painful. But they do their job," she added.
7. She Had a Similar Pandemic Lockdown to Us All
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"I've been taking everything one day at a time and being gentle with myself when I need to be," she said during the first year of the pandemic. "I always try to remain positive, but there have definitely been days where I just have not been up for working out or taking as good care of myself as I’d like. I’ll get into a good routine but then falter. One day off becomes two. Two becomes five. But I don’t beat myself up over those days," Mitchell said to Forbes. "We’re humans going through a really challenging time and I think we are all entitled to off days," she adds.
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