Til Money Do Us Part star Carmen Villalobo is 40 and in the best shape of her life. Villalobo, who plays Alejandra Maldonado on the Netflix show, shared some pictures of herself on social media, posing by a pool in a black bikini. “Monday that looks like Sunday 😎😜. Happy week my beautiful people ☀️ ⛱️👙❤️,” she captioned the post. Villalobos works hard for her health and physique—here are the diet and fitness rules she lives by.
Villalobo refuses to chase an idealized version of looks, instead embracing her unique beauty. “I have rather been a lover of natural things. I have also had the fortune of playing characters on the natural side,” she says. “I am one of those who thinks that what you are, what you really are internally, you reflect that… Women are hormonal. There are days when you wake up, look in the mirror and feel the most horrible, you don’t like anything. You have a closet full of clothes and nothing fits. You have to know how to take advantage of what you are, what you have. There are no perfect bodies, there is no perfect beauty. I believe that when you have something that makes you different from others, you have to hold on to that and take advantage of it.”
Villalobo swears by weight training to look and feel her best. “The human body was designed to move,” she says. “When we remain static we spoil ourselves, in every sense. When I’m not moving I feel bad. Weights, weights and more weights. Many women believe that this will make them masculine, but it defines your muscles and gives you confidence. The key is finding the right weight for your body.”
Villalobo is diligent about staying hydrated and removing makeup every night. “Always drink water,” she says. “If you don’t like the taste, prepare it with fruits. If you need it to taste something sweet, add a strawberry. One is undoubtedly what one eats. It is impossible for the skin to look good if one eats poorly. That, not to mention the figure. Sometimes I come crawling in because I’m so tired and what I want to do is lie down on the bed, but I ALWAYS remove every last drop of mascara.”
Villalobo emphasizes how important sleep is for beauty. Studies show lack of sleep impacts both looks and how others interact with us. “Since faces contain a lot of information on which humans base their interactions with each other, how fatigued a person appears may affect how others behave toward them,” says Tina Sundelin, MSc, doctoral student in the department of psychology at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden. “This is relevant not only for private social interactions, but also official ones such as with health care professionals and in public safety.”
Villalobo gets up early every morning to get her exercise in before the day starts. “I [work out for] two hours, from 5 to 7,” she says. “I’ve never done it in my life, never and now I like it.” Experts say working out first thing has specific health benefits. “Morning workouts help reduce the possibility for obstacles to present themselves,” says Jasmin Theard, ACSM HFS, exercise physiologist at Piedmont Atlanta Fitness Center. “There is also less opportunity to make excuses. Exercise leads to the secretion of neurotransmitters that promote mental clarity and an improved attention span. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as rejuvenated and recharged.”