British TV star and influencer Kaz Kamwi is happiest when she’s in a swimsuit–and she certainly works hard for it. The 27-year-old posted a picture of herself wearing a gorgeous bikini while poolside in Zanzibar, Tanzania. “Little miss life is better in a bikini 👙,” she captioned the Instagram post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Kamwi 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!
Kamwi is a big fan of dance-based workouts, and loves to post videos of herself making moves. “And that’s our daily workout in 😂,” she captioned an Instagram video. “When you begin moving, you immediately release the brain chemicals dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins, causing a powerful and lasting effect I call ‘energized optimism,'” says health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, PhD. “The adrenaline makes you feel powerful, the dopamine generates hope, and the endorphins bring you joy. You’ve created this amazing cocktail that boosts your mood and energy, leads you to experience better social interactions, makes you more likely to progress on your goals, and lowers stress. So dancing doesn’t just make you feel great in the moment. It sets you up to be a better version of yourself.”
Kamwi used to cover her stretch marks in foundation, something she no longer does. “From the age of 15 I had stretch marks on my thighs. I was so embarrassed by them that when I had PE lessons at school, I’d cover them with foundation,” Kamwi says. “It wasn’t until the summer before I went to study Sociology at Birmingham City University, aged 18, that I thought: ‘I’m about to go to Freshers’ Week and it’s time to confront the things I’m not confident about.’ So, in the weeks before I went off to uni, I started wearing shorts to see if anyone looked at me weirdly or said anything – and nobody did!” “If we never got outside our comfort zone, we would still be crawling around, eating baby food; we wouldn’t have the technology that we have,” says Sydney-based clinical psychologist Dr Heidi Heron. “Nobody that I know of that’s highly successful has ever stayed in their comfort zone. Even though it might be uncomfortable for a while, being outside of our comfort zone is how we create a new level of comfort.”
Kamwi understands insecurity, but knows comparing herself to others is unhealthy. “Naturally, you can have moments where you question whether you’re good enough – everybody has them,” Kamwi says. “But comparison is the thief of joy, and if you compare yourself to other people you lose sense of who you are. You get yourself into a hole you don’t want to go into.” “If you commit yourself to being deeply grateful for what’s good in your life, and remind yourself of it daily, you’ll be far less vulnerable to comparison and envy,” says Susan Biali Haas, MD. “If someone or something triggers that ugly feeling of negative comparison, stop and remind yourself of what’s good in your life, right now. There is so much.”
“As humans, we appreciate being appreciated, but it’s dangerous if you solely rely on others to build up your confidence,” Kamwi says. “I think if you build yourself up and people are adding to it, though, that’s fine.” “Authentic self-esteem is not dependent upon others or things external to us. Such self-esteem is a manifestation of our relationship with ourselves. The essence of self-esteem is that it flows from within,” says Mel Schwartz, LCSW.
Kamwi is aware that being in the public eye means facing lots of unfair criticism—so she’s learned to block it for her mental health. “You know the everyday stuff, you don’t really register like winds, crowds, traffic, office noise—we all know it happens, but we don’t sit there and say, oh my gosh, this is so annoying,” Kamwi tells Grazia. “Let it’s really, really loud. And I equate that to the same negative advice or opinions people might give. If I can ignore the traffic, I’m pretty sure I can use the exact same energy to ignore and drown out people’s opinions. And obviously sometimes it naturally gets really overwhelming and it becomes noticeable the same as like really loud traffic, really loud office noises. And that can distract you. But for the most part, I just tend to kind of drown it out.”