Kelly Ripa In Bikini On The Cover of 'Fitness'

Oh you’re so vain
“a month or two after i started working out, i wore a sleeveless turtleneck to work. regis was like, ‘pipa, your arm muscles look incredible!’ it was the first time anybody had ever said anything to me about my muscles. and because i am a vain person, that’s all i needed to hear to stay with it.”

On starting her fitness regime
“i figured, i work in an industry where there’s a stylist and a makeup artist—they’ll make me look fine but i began feeling tired-just playing in the park with my kids wore me down…so i started walking on a treadmill. then i started jogging on a treadmill. then i began jogging outside. now i’m running outside, three to five miles, and taking toning classes.

On her best confidence-boosting trick
“i buy jeans that are tight in the rear end. i’m not kidding. i treat my cheeks like breasts in a push-up bra. i just reach down in there, lift them up and push them together. and they’ll stay put if the jeans are tight enough in the seat.”

On regrets
“i used to smoke, so lung cancer is the thing that keeps me awake at night. i worry, did i quit in enough time? did i do it for too long? it’s one of those things where i think, boy, what a foolish thing i did. i’m not from the generation where you can go, ‘oh, i didn’t know it was bad for me.’ no. everybody knew it was bad.”

On charity
“regis’s heart scare was a reminder to stay on top of the issue. as women, we’re more interested in stuff that affects us immediately rather than thinking long-term. i also support the heart for women act, which asks the government for funding for women and heart disease awareness.”

On marriage and pregnancy weight
“when i was pregnant with my first son and i gained 68 pounds, mark made me feel like the queen of sheba every day – ‘you’re so beautiful, you’re so gorgeous.’… at this point, we’ve been married too long for him to say, ‘oh, you look so hot in that!”
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