Mary J. Blige has been working on her exercise regime for several months and now she’s showing off the results. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is now the queen of abs on SHAPE magazine’s December issue.

On the cover, MJB is wearing an all-white two-piece bathing suit, which reveals her svelte figure. The cover line says it all: "42 and Sexier Than Ever -- the Moves That Make Her Fit & Fierce."

Getting that fierce body wasn’t easy for Blige. The 'My Life' singer enlisted the help of her trainer, Mark Jenkins, and stayed on a strict diet and exercise routine.

"My main exercise is cardio,” she tells SHAPE. “The treadmill is fine but running outdoors gives me the best results. I try to log 6 to 8 miles a week. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio I feel much, much better.”

In preparation for the cover shoot, Blige also eliminated sugar from her diet and ate foods that were gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb.

Blige also cut out alcohol, which she did following the untimely death of her idol, pop icon Whitney Houston.

“I haven’t had a drink in a year and three months," she attests. "I had quit for a long time but started again about five years ago. I’m off it completely once more, and now I feel stronger than ever."

The December issue of SHAPE, featuring the shapely Mary J. Blige on the cover, will hit newsstands on Nov. 25.

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