Vanessa Hudgens is a theater kid at heart, so it’s no surprise she can appreciate a good pun. She made one in her latest post: “Can You Bear It?” she asked, with her in a bathing suit, standing in front of a big bear statue, while tagging her water brand, Caliwater. How does Hudgens stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Vanessa Hudgens 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 Eats “Real Food”
If you’re eating too many overly sugary and processed foods—that means everything from bottles of Coca-Cola to high-sugar cereals and dishes piled high with pasta—you’ll get a surge of energy followed by an ugly crash. And if you’re eating ultra-high fat meals—think of too much sausage in the morning or a big greasy steak or grisly cheeseburger in the afternoon—you’re actually overloading your digestive system, which means that your brain function hobbles and you get drowsy. "My overall food philosophy is, if it's real, I'll eat it," Vanessa told Shape. "Many things are processed and contain chemicals and ingredients I can't pronounce. I want real food."
2. She Likes Healthy Fats
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
"People a lot of times think of fats in diets as a negative thing, and when you’re doing keto it’s a very positive thing," Vanessa told People. "I’m always making sure I’m getting those healthy fats in, so I eat a LOT of almond butter." Good fats are found in minimally-to-non-processed foods that are full of unsaturated fats, heart-healthy, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, DHA, and EPA), monounsaturated fats (OEA), and the single trans fat conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as well as some medium-chain saturated fats like stearic acid and lauric acid. These are also the fats found in nature, from glorious foods like avocado, nuts, eggs, certain fish, and healthy oils such as olive oil. This is the healthy fat that helps you control your weight and strengthen your heart. And get this: they also help you burn fat—especially the monosaturated fats, which are the ones contained in nuts, avocados, and olives.
3. She Does Yoga
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Hudgens does yoga frequently "I don't consider it fitness," she says. "It's more like therapy for me." "The beauty of yoga is that it addresses multiple factors that underlie heart disease," says yoga researcher and neuroscientist Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, to Harvard Health, which adds, “Whether you have chest pain from narrowed heart arteries (angina) or an irregular, fast heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), yoga can cultivate physical changes that may improve these and other cardiovascular conditions, he says.”
4. She is “Grounded”
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Hudgens captioned a recent Instagram post with her boyfriend Cole Tucker: "Grounded and oh so happy.” The duo have gone hiking together. And so should you! According to fitness buff Tim Blake, owner and founder of superdads.com, the single biggest thing you can do to get your metabolism firing is to increase your basic movement, or your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). “Basically, that means adding movement to everything you do, whenever and wherever possible,” he explains.
5. She Appreciates a Good Salad
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
"If that's a big bowl of spaghetti with clams and a glass of wine, then that's what I'm eating," she told Shape. "Sometimes I crave a salad, and I'll make a big one with nuts and goat cheese and salmon. Other times, it's tacos and a margarita." Try some walnuts in your salad. They have Alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), an omega-3 and an essential fatty acid, meaning it cannot be produced by the body. Like all omega-3s, it helps to reduce appetite, control inflammation and promote weight loss, and studies specific to ALA have found it plays a role in reducing risk of heart attacks, lowering cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure.
6. She Hydrates Right
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Hudgens’s own Caliwater has Prickly Pear Extract. Downing water should also be the very first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, as simply drinking more water may increase the rate at which healthy people burn calories. And contrary to what you might have heard or read online, it doesn’t matter what the temperature of your water is. Cold or warm will help ratchet up your metabolism, stave off overeating, and save calories over soda and other sugary drinks. And although a warm cup of water may feel soothing to the stomach, there’s no evidence to suggest that the body absorbs it any different than if it was cold. Drinking water, period, is infinitely more important to your health and well-being than the temperature at which it’s served.