But all that hard graft was clearly worth it for dance professional Karina Smirnoff who showed off the impressive results in Hawaii today.
The 34-year-old showed off her champion figure in a tiny blue and lime green bikini as she paraded down the beach in Waikiki.
Karina wore her long brown hair loose around her shoulders and subtle make-up as she splashed around in the surf and strolled along, holding her wedge heels aloft.
The star was enjoying a break between bringing her DanceFit-KS classes to the tropical islands.
In between a dip in the ocean, she took a walk down the beach before dancing the Hula dance in a park near the sea.
Sun, sea and sand: The professional dancer and TV star looked relaxed as she held her shoes while strolling
After her dip, she took to a nearby outdoor shower to clean off the salt water.
Karina, originally from Ukraine, recently revealed that her triumph on the last season of Dancing with the Stars wasn't without its difficulties.
'I tried to be careful with my muscles and joints, but this season was really strenuous on the body,' she recently told Rockstar magazine.
'In the end, though, the pros most definitely outweigh the cons, and participating in Dancing with the Stars was all worth it.'
She and Martinez beat Rob Kardashian and his partner Cheryl Burke into second place last season, while Ricki Lake and Derek Hough came in third.
Karian was also spotted leading a pack of work-out enthusiasts in her DanceFIT exercise routines yesterday.
Champion figure: The dancer, who wore two pretty silver necklaces with her outfit, was clearly enjoying soaking up the sun
Wearing a simple outfit of black workout leggings and a white patterned vest top, the star showed off her agility in several energetic workout moves.
Karina has long been an advocate of using dance to keep fit.
'It's a well-rounded workout,' she told website SheKnows.com last year. 'You don't work one muscle group, you work the whole body. It's great cardio.
'You have fun when you dance and you work out. You forget that you're actually physically working and sweating. You're enjoying the process and at the same time, toning up, losing weight and burning calories.'
Fitness first: Karina practices for 8-10 hours a day during Dancing With The Stars
And, according to the star, even the slow dances will keep you in shape.
'The slow dances like the waltz and the rumba are so slow that you have to have so much control and you're using different muscle groups to make sure that you control every step.'
Diet is also important to the star who advises women to eat pineapple 'because it breaks up muscle and fat.'
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