Blanca Blanco stuns in a bikini by a lake in Washington as she shares her latest abs workout hack that can be done from home

READ MORE: Blanca hits the red carpet for the Kevin Costner film Horizon while at Cannes 

Blanca Blanco, who plays Katarina Lopez in the new movie Finding Nicole, is on a summer vacation in her home state of Washington.

The pinup posed in an orange bikini that made the most of her abs and toned legs.

Staying in shape is important to the Eye For Eye actress as she tells DailyMail.com she has learned a new way to work out.

Her latest trick is strength training instead of intense cardio - and she does it at home as well as the gym.

'As we get older, we lose muscle mass; that’s called sarcopenia. So it is important to keep muscle mass up,' she told DailyMail.com. Sarcopenia is a condition that causes a progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and quality in older adults and people who are immobile.

'When you maintain muscle mass they you not only look better but you move better and your risk for injury is lower.'

Blanca Blanco, who is in the new movie Finding Nicole, is on a summer vacation in her home state of Washington

The pinup posed in an orange bikini that made the most of her abs and toned legs. Staying in shape is important to the Eye For Eye actress as she tells DailyMail.com she has learned a new way to work out

She added: 'So I have been focusing on mobility, strength, and stability. It is so easy to do, I keep free weights at home and at the gym I use the machines. It is a must for me now.'

She also lost 10lbs earlier this year by giving up meat and is instead eating fish and chicken.

'I think it is has been really good for my waistline because my dresses are all lose now!' she told DailyMail.com. 'And I don't miss the steaks which can be too heavy sometimes.'

Earlier this year, the Breaking The Mold author also told DailyMail.com exclusively what her latest workout hack is.

'On days I feel lazy I break up my workouts to two 10 minute workouts a day,' she shared. 'I know it sounds silly but if you run on the treadmill for 10 minutes you do work up a sweat. So I do that in the morning. Then later in the day I will do sit ups for another 10 minutes. So that is a 20 minute workout. It really does help and if you do it every day you can lose a pound a week.'

She said she is just like everyone else when it comes to workout burnout.

'A lot of people think I love to go to the gym, and the truth is I sometimes really don't, as in sometimes I would love to stay home and binge watch Netflix,' she told DailyMail.com.

Her latest trick is strength training instead of intense cardio - and she does it at home as well as the gym

'As we get older, we lose muscle mass; that’s called sarcopenia. So it is important to keep muscle mass up,' she told DailyMail.com

'I usually work out for one hour a day, five days a week. I do it for my mental health, because it makes me feel so positive. Even those two 10 minute workouts rev me up and shoots up my endorphins.'

She added that there are other workouts she doesn't consider workouts.

'I walk around my neighborhood for an hour every day, and I know that burns calories too but I really don't consider that a workout,' said the siren who went to her first Emmy Awards this year.

'I do it to get away from my computer and TV, just to unwind and look at the trees and say hello to neighbors, it's very healthy. I don't know why more people don't do it. Just put on some sneakers and get out there and look at the sunset and let all that pressure from the day roll off you.'

Last year the star, who will next play therapist Alma Gomez in the movie Ash And Bone 2 -  also shared with DailyMail.com her diet secrets for 2023 that saves her money.

Blanca said that staying slender has a lot to do with timing meals.

'I never eat late at night, this is a golden rule I have adopted this summer. I stop eating at about 6 pm so my body can digest what I have eaten before I go to sleep.

'So no more late night popcorn bowls or cereal bars. The late night snacks are gone. If I am super hungry I chop up some vegetables and add olive oil and sea salt. But usually I just wait  until breakfast to eat.

'It also saves money. Because sometimes at night I would pop over to Go Greek and buy frozen yogurt to treat myself. I don't do that anymore.

'I have pretty much given up all desserts at night. Sometimes I would order a fancy dessert that was like $14 after dinner. No more. Sometimes those desserts at nice restaurants can cost a fortune! Once I ordered a chocolate dessert that was $22. It wasn't worth it - too expensive and 1,000 calories.

'If I want something sweet, I have a decaf coffee with some honey.'

The star told DailyMail.com that she is on the Mediterranean Diet at the moment. 'It is heavy in protein so there are not a lot of carbs, which turn into sugar once metabolized,' she said.

'It just requires a lot of fresh vegetables so I am always running to the grocery store.'

The Mediterranean diet beat low-fat diets for weight loss, research has shown.

'When you maintain muscle mass they you not only look better but you move better and your risk for injury is lower,' she noted

Switching from an omnivore diet to a plant-based diet was found to help the majority of people lose weight, possibly because of the boost in fiber intake and the reduction of animal proteins in favor of plant proteins, among other reasons, per a systematic review published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy in 2020.

In June Blanca talked working out.

'I try to exercise five days a week for one hour a day,' said the Mission: Possible star.

'Cardio and weight training are key. I use weights to stay toned. Ten pound dumbbells are great for toning.

'Some weeks are challenging to keep up with the routine, I try to be kind to myself when I can't do routine, and know even one day or five minutes of training a day is 100% better than nothing.

'I sometimes just walk around my neighborhood for 15 minutes when I don't have time to go to the gym.

'I have a walk app too so walking to the car or going to the gas station helps, all add up.'

Blanco hit Cannes in May. She was at The Second Acts screening and opening ceremony red carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 14, left, and at the Furiosa premiere, right

The star made the Horizon: An American Saga premiere on May 19

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And she has some diet tricks too.

'I eat grilled food over fried food. It is healthier for the heart and it lowers cholesterol.

'High cholesterol runs in my family gene. So I try to work on what I can that is within my control. I love French fries so it's not easy sometimes.'

And she rules out meat and sugar.

'For two months now, I decided to go on a pescatarian lifestyle, which is a temporary change.

'That means no meats, no chicken, and only seafood. I love fish so this works for me. I often order the grilled salmon at restaurants with a side of vegetables.

'Also I don't eat sugar, so no desserts, no cake, no ice cream, not thank you! It's just not worth it for me. Every time I eat a dessert I have to work out another hour and it's too much time.

'I only eat sugar from fruits which is great because I love apples and strawberries.

'I feel it is important to detox the body every once in a while plus it also shock the metabolism. I feel less bloated, more regular and more energy.'

And she says the advice to drink more water really works.

'Not only it's beneficial to our organs but I notice it helps with my skin too. Bye bye zits. The best way to know if we are drinking enough is take your body weight and divide it by two, the result is the amount of ounces we need for the day.'

And she also shared that lowering stress is also very helpful to weight loss.  'Take it one day at a time,' said the star who grew up in Washington state. Stress can get in our way but every little step we take makes a difference. Keep it simple! Be kind to yourself.'