Nina Dobrev is enjoying the simple life – in her swimsuit! The Vampire Diaries star is currently vacationing at Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica with her beau Shaun White, the snowboarding legend who is celebrating his retirement at age 35. “Pura vida,” she captioned a series of snaps taken from their luxurious vacation. (Translation: “Pure life.”) How does the star keep herself fit and healthy? Read on to see 6 ways Nina Dobrev prioritizes her health 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!
Yoga, HIIT, and boxing are just a few of the workouts Nina relies on to stay fit. “I just love working out,” she told Women’s Health. “Doing something different [each day] has been the most fun, and I’ve seen the most benefit because you shock your system.” She told Shape that strength training is one of her main methods. “I actually did not do a lot of [strength training] in the past-I only did yoga and ran in terms of training. Strength training with weights and such a regimented schedule has been new to my life, and now that I understand the way it all works, the science behind it, it’s changed everything for me.”
Nina is very outdoorsy. In addition to snowboarding with White, she enjoys scuba, hiking, skiing, and bike riding. “Outdoor exercise can help ward off seasonal affective disorder (SAD), depression and anxiety because sunshine naturally increases serotonin, a hormone that affects your mood. And exercise itself produces endorphins, another feel-good hormone that boosts your mood and reduces pain,” says Piedmont Health.
Nina eats small but regular meals throughout the day. “I used to eat three full meals and then I would not be able to move after each meal. I would be so full and tired. Now, I eat all the time but portion control is what’s important for me-I’m eating more in total but not more at a time,” she told Shape. “Basically, I aim to have the size of my thumb in fat, the size of my palm in protein, and then unlimited veggies. I wish I’d learned this in school.”
Nina is all about juicing. “When I’m sick or not feeling great, I’m all about the juices,” she told Well+Good. “It seems like the worse the taste, the better it is for you, so I do ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, oregano oil—ugh, double ugh— lemon, everything.” Something she likes to add to her juices? Collagen peptides and other protein powder.
“Music is a big part of my training and my life. Before I had a trainer I would go to the gym and go on the treadmill and whenever it was the chorus I would sprint and whenever it was not the chorus I would just jog. If there’s a beat I can usually get into a groove and sense what’s happening and if something burns I just plow through it because the music is what drives me,” she told Shape.
Nina gets her workouts in before she can make excuses. “You need to make a decision-do I want to look and feel a certain way and put the work into it? I see the difference so I make the time for it on set. I would wake up an hour earlier. Even though I was exhausted after a 12-hour day and did not want to work out, I did it because I always knew I would feel better after,” she told Shape. “I do it first thing when I wake up because then I can’t make up an excuse for it, like being tired later on in the day. Because usually by 6 p.m. you’re just like, I have no energy. I’ve done all the things I’ve done! I don’t want to do anything else! I just get it done in the morning.”