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Kelly Ripa in Swimsuit Throwback Reminds Us She's Fearless

The 50-year-old sticks to a strict diet and workout regimen, and can face down any storm.

Kelly Ripa joined in on this week's "Throwback Thursday" on social media, sharing a photo of herself rocking a swimsuit in 2018, under the darkest of dark clouds. "#tbt 2018 – ignores approaching storm #bahamas," she captioned the photo, tagging her husband, Riverdale actor Mark Consuelos (@instasuelos). ("Of course you did. You are a storm yourself," joked Dondré T. Whitfield in the comments.) While a lot has changed in the last three years, the 50-year-old host of Live with Kelly and Ryan still looks just as amazing as she did in the photo taken in the tropics. So how does she manage to remain one of the fittest females on television? Here are 5 of the workout and diet secrets she's told others, and the photos that prove they work.

Her Diet Is Mostly Plant-Based

@kellyripa / Instagram

Ripa claims that the alkaline diet—about balancing the pH levels in your body—"changed her life," but she isn't exactly strict with it. "I like to drink coffee. I occasionally will have fish. The alkaline diet is primarily a vegan diet, but I like cream in my coffee," Ripa told People. "So I don't adhere to it strictly, but when I do a cleanse, it will be seven days, and then I go back to my normal life. But my normal life is not that different than the alkaline cleanse." During an interview with Good Housekeeping she revealed that she eats "a ton of vegetables" at dinner paired with a salad, soup, or a light piece of fish. "I try not to have too much cheese or too many high-fat foods, even though I love them," she added. "I would love nothing more than to have pizza and french fries every day, but I try to limit those treats to once a week."

She Eats a Late Breakfast

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Ripa told Bon Appétit that she puts off her first meal of the day until after work. "I never eat breakfast until after the show. I can't seem to focus my mind if my stomach is digesting," she said. "At the host chat desk, I'll have a triple shot skim latte… I find that if I eat beforehand, I'm just making digesting sounds."

She Stays Away From Alcohol

woman refusing or saying no to being poured a glass of wine alcohol
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In January 2020, Ripa revealed during an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan that she quit drinking in 2017. "They're saying that Americans bought less wine last year. It's the first drop in a quarter of a century. Now, I believe this is because I quit drinking, that I caused this dip. I have influenced the market," she joked. 

She Works Out Every Day

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Ripa refuses to skip a workout. "I work out seven days a week," she told In the Know. "And I try to workout an hour and a half a day, no matter what — whether I'm working or not. If I'm working, maybe I'll start it a little bit later or a little bit earlier, depending on what day of the week it is. But I am very religious about my fitness."

She Works Out With Anna Kaiser

@theannakaiser / Instagram

Ripa has been working out with celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser, now at her Anna Kaiser Studios, combining toning, interval, circuit and dance-based workouts. "You light the world up around you and make everyone who is lucky enough to know you a better version of him/herself," Kaiser wrote to Ripa for her birthday last year, captioning this Instagram photo. "You are kind, passionate, and generous BEYOND words – no one knows how much you give back, anonymously, to make this world a better place. Everyday is better with you in it and I am so excited to enter another decade of adventures with you!!!"

Leah Groth
Leah Groth has decades of experience covering all things health, wellness and fitness related. Read more about Leah
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