Michelle Monaghan is on a “dream vacation” with her family at a beautiful beach location. The 47-year-old actress shared a reel of herself walking next to the pool in a purple bathing suit, with stunning city lights and ocean in the background. “Pink pink pink pink 🌕,” she captioned the post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Monaghan 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!
Monaghan focuses on health and strength over appearance. “I love my shape because I know what it’s capable of — running 13 miles, having two children, and learning to surf,” she says. “I love my body so much; it’s profoundly amazing. I have enormous gratitude for it. Years ago, when I started working out, it was about getting my body in shape. But now the mental benefits outweigh the physical ones… We’re active together as a family — the kids go hiking and biking with us. But I don’t obsess about what I eat.”
Monaghan balances out her exercises. “I hike in the morning if I can, after I drop the kids off at school,” she says. “If not, I’ll go for a run. Typically, I’ll do 30 minutes, which is a three-mile run for me. I started doing Pilates, too, and it’s really challenging. I find that it’s a good balance for my running, which makes my muscles tight. Pilates loosens me up. I also love SoulCycle. I played a Spin instructor in a movie, and at the time I thought, There’s no way I’m getting on a bike. But SoulCycle had just opened in L.A., so I went with friends. The lights were off, candles were burning, and we were hooked. It’s like church!”
Monaghan keeps her diet vegetable-heavy. “I have never liked fruit,” she says. “To make up for it, I have a green juice every morning, which is totally devoid of fruit but has tons of vitamins from vegetables. A typical day of eating for me is eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch, and fish or meat and lots of veggies for dinner.”
Monaghan has no sweet tooth—her idea of indulgence is a plate of cheese, crackers, and prosciutto. “There are certain cheeses that can help your gut health,” says Alexis Supan, MPH, RD. “Options like cheddar, Parmesan, Gorgonzola and Gouda are all excellent cheeses when it comes to providing us some good bacteria and keeping our gut happy.”
Monaghan makes sure to support her mental as well as her physical health. “I love to meditate before my kids wake up,” she says. “I find that 20 minutes twice a day [keeps] me patient and grounded.” “Mental health is the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings and behave. Sometimes people experience a significant disturbance in this mental functioning. A mental disorder may be present when patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behaving cause distress or disrupt a person’s ability to function,” says the Mayo Clinic.