It’s that time of year again: things start warming up, and everyone starts talking about getting to the gym and sculpting a bikini body.
Why do we do this to ourselves every year?
Yes, it’s natural when it gets cold to maybe put on a little weight. It’s easy to snuggle and sleep and make cookies. I come from a cold-weather upbringing. I know.
However.
There should be no reason to freak out every year about finding your bikini body.
First of all, it took me years, but I’ve finally learned that it’s not that big of a deal if your thighs touch or your belly is soft as long as you’re fit and healthy and feeling good.
Secondly, we should focus on keeping our bikini bodies all year around.
And I use that term loosely.
What I mean is, whatever YOUR best body is, maintain that body throughout the year. It’s not Cindy Crawford’s bikini body, it’s YOUR bikini body. It’s the body you feel good in and yes, proud of, because it’s healthy and beautiful and you’ve worked hard for it.
You’ve eaten well. You’ve exercised. You’ve tried new things. And the result might not match the standards we see in magazines and in blog posts about the workouts we have to do in order to achieve the perfect bikini body by beach time, but if the result is you at your best? THAT is a bikini body to be proud of.
Whatever it looks like, it’s a masterpiece. Appreciate it for that.
But here we are, early April, and maybe you’re not at your best. What now?
Don’t panic. Maybe you should have started five months ago, but you didn’t. And that’s okay, because you can start NOW! And I do mean now.
Make a plan and get going. (Need help with a plan? Talk to me.) You can safely (and with a good chance of keeping it off) lose 10 pounds in two months, no problem, if you make some simple lifestyle changes and stick to them. But if you’re going for 20 pounds or more, you should take more time. In such case, you might not lose everything you want to lose by June, but you’ll be well on your way, and if you make a lifestyle change and maintain that new, healthy lifestyle, by next summer you’ll be thrilled with the results.
Waiting until spring and doing a rush-job desperation weight loss diet where the results don’t last and you end up frustrated is not something we need to go through year after year. You can decide, right now, to get and keep YOUR bikini body year round.