British actress Helen Flanagan is enjoying some child-free time while on vacation in beautiful Barbados, in the Caribbean. Flanagan, 32, took advantage of her alone time by sharing pictures of herself posing in a yellow bikini and printed pants, with white sandals and black sunglasses. "When the kids are at kids club… 📸✨💗," she captioned the post. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Flanagan stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

Flanagan worked hard to regain her physique after having children. "The only workout I do is my Mumma Fit programme – plus racing around after Matilda and Delilah! I stick in on my phone at home, and within 20 minutes I'm all finished!" she says. "I like the resistance band exercises – they work the muscles – and the Mumma Calm section is terrific for helping restore balance. All mums know this is often easier said than done! I don't have time for the gym, so the workout's perfect for me."

Flanagan refuses to diet, instead enjoying a balanced diet with room for treats. "Breakfast is usually a Starbucks' Hazelnut latte and a skinny muffin, lunch is probably a roast chicken wrap and dinner will be a Nando's or I might cook pasta," she says. "I snack on sweets for the sugar because I'm always running around – I love jelly babies or jellied snakes. I gave up dieting two years ago. When I was younger I was completely obsessed with dieting – this diet, that diet – and now I look back and think I was really stupid, I lost far too much weight and got really obsessed with it."

df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Flanagan lives a very active lifestyle, and doesn't just rely on workouts to stay fit and in shape. "I'm always racing around," she says. "I find it hard to chill out and I think that probably keeps me in shape. I'd feel guilty putting my feet up. I'm quite highly strung like that."

Flanagan has learned to enjoy cooking at home. "My speciality is spaghetti Bolognese," she says. "My little trick is to put a teaspoon of Marmite in with the tomato sauce, as I find it gives it a richness. I also love freshly-grated parmesan on top with a side portion of garlic bread. The cook-in-the-oven baguettes from Waitrose are the best. I don't pretend to be the greatest cook in the universe, so when [ex-partner] Scott and I started dating, we always used to eat out a lot!"

Flanagan's favorite treat is a Mediterranean spread. "I really can't think that every single night I can only eat fish, veg and potatoes," she says. "That would be boring. My blow out would be a Nando's hummus and pitta bread with Mediterranean chicken, mango and lime salad, and haloumi cheese. But my ultimate food indulgence is a Starbucks skinny ginger muffin."