Vanessa Lachey in Bathing Suit Says "Hawai'i = Home"

Aloha! Vanessa Lachey is enjoying her time in the islands, especially after her hit show, NCIS: Hawai'i, got picked up for a second season. "Hawai'i = Home," she captioned a recent photo of herself, showing off her amazing figure in a swimsuit as she lounges in a tropical oasis. How does the mother-of-three keep herself so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Vanessa Lachey 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!

During an interview with Us, Vanessa revealed her top tip when it comes to diet. "I think portion control is always the biggest thing that people can do, because it's impossible to say, 'Change the way you eat,'" she said. "I have three kids, like, I'm gonna constantly be eating whatever's on their plate. That's just how it is."

"It's honestly harder to take time for myself to work out now that I have three kids, but when I do, I will say I feel better and I feel less lethargic," she says. Still, she notes, she leaves the Peloton bike in their house to her 44-year-old husband: "I honestly can't even fake that one. I'd rather spend time with my kids than an hour in the gym… So if I know I'm not going to be working out for a good amount of time, then [I] just make healthier food choices."

"I believe ANY exercise or movement is good. Make it something you love and then you WILL do it!" Vanessa told Real Style Network. "I work out three days a week with a trainer. I do this because I hate working out and need the motivation. He makes it fun for me. I know trainers can get expensive and not everyone wants to pay for one. I decided to cut back on other things in life financially so I can hire someone to train me. Health is extremely important to me even more so now that I have two kids I want to be around for."

Vanessa fuels herself up post-workout with a fruit and veggie filled beverage. "I just started having smoothies after my workouts. It's a quick way to get nutrients, and it gives me so much energy after I've worked out hard for an hour," she told Real Style Network. 

Vanessa detailed her dream food day to Delish. "I'm a big breakfast girl. If I had a choice, I would sit down to sausage links and a ham-and-cheese omelette and toast and fruit. Sometimes—and this is probably the Asian in me coming out—I'll do scrambled eggs over rice with soy sauce. It's a big comfort food for me. When I'm at a hotel I'll call room service at 7 in the morning and be like, 'um, do you guys have white rice and soy sauce?'" she said. And for lunch and dinner? "I love paninis, if someone's cooking, or a crisp side salad and some kind of potato—either fries or a baked potato. For dinner, I'm just a steak and potatoes girl, so a really great steak with a crisp vegetable, and then, yeah, a potato again. And then dessert: A nice, fluffy slice of chocolate cake and a glass of milk."

Vanessa revealed to Carrots n Cake that she and her husband have started working out together. "Recently Nick and I have been slacking on our date nights. We just are so tired by the end of the day that we want to stay at home and have dinner and watch our favorite Netflix show. So, we started doing 'day-dates' two days a week," she said. "We go to the gym together. We do a personal session at Heart & Hustle Gym in LA, then have lunch before we head home. It's great because we can look forward to our together time ever week, and we it's during the kids mid-day nap so it's a little guilt free."

Vanessa's favorite healthy meal? "Taco Night!" she told Carrots n Cake. "It's our go to healthy and quick dinner. We use ground turkey meat, and try to portion control. It's easy to put down 6-8 homemade tacos, so eating until you are content with healthy clean toppings, and no sides is our go to."