Country superstar Faith Hill proudly exposed her sizzling body wearing a bikini as a gift to herself for her 41st birthday posing for December's issue of Shape magazine.  

"Wearing a bikini on a magazine cover is my 41st birthday present to myself," the country music singer told Shape, as quoted by People magazine.

Revealing the secret behind her stunning physical shape, the mother-of-three said she owed it all to her three-times-a-week Pilates routine.

"I could bend in ways I haven't been able to since I was a teenager," the Nashville-based star said, adding, "My husband [Tim McGraw] loves it!"

After years of skipping exercise, Faith said she now works out regularly with a personal instructor, and the results are obvious.

"I was always very athletic, playing basketball and softball and running track," she explained, "But in my 20s and 30s, I’d go through phases with exercise, working out for four weeks before a big tour or video shoot and not doing much afterward. Then I had three kids and turned 40, so I decided to make a lifestyle change."

Earlier this year, the singer had to undergo knee surgery that realigned her knee cap and adjusted the joint itself, following an injury Hill suffered during high school while playing softball. Wear and tear on the joint over the years made the surgery necessary. She was forced to keep away from exercising for six months.

"I had never gone that long without doing something," she said. "I was not happy."

When she got back on her feet, Hill and her husband started a daily routine that included four miles on the elliptical, light weight lifting, crunches and push-ups.

"I found I slept better, had more energy and was stronger," explained Hill, who then increased her regime to include Pilates classes three times a week.

"It was so hard, but ultimately so worth it. My core is much stronger, and my arms are more toned."

Hill is currently working on her 7th studio album which is set to drop in 2009. When asked about how she balances a career and her family obligations, she shared that she and Tim never spend more than three consecutive days apart at any given time. The couple, who got married over 10 years ago, have three daughters together: Gracie, 11, Maggie, 10, and Audrey, 6.

Most recently, McGraw apologized to his fans in the name of his record label for releasing yet another greatest hits compilation just two years after Greatest Hits 2. McGraw has expressed his desire to leave Curb Records but the company is not ready to give him up just yet.

"I’m saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music," McGraw said in a statement. "I’ve only had one studio album since my last hits package. It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me."