Ditch the 'Bikini Body' Pressure: A Real Guide to Feeling Good This Summer
With summer around the corner, many are eyeing up their summer wardrobe and possibly already wearing sunnies and planning a trip. However, I have not come across many women who aren’t also thinking about their bikini bod and it makes me so sad that as we are thinking about more skin showing, we gear up to pick ourselves apart. Now do not get me wrong, I have tried a diet, I’ve signed up and cancelled gym memberships more than times than I have bought a new water bottle that is sure to give motivation BUT there are 2 main things I’ve discovered.
1. You will never look how you want to look if you don’t love yourself.
2. If you’re trying to lose weight and you are miserable, there are a million other paths for your journey you could explore.
Now fairly self explanatory but allow me to explain. Have you ever look at photo where you were a size you preferred to how you look to now? Scars, wrinkles, spots - whatever you’re analysing, for a lack of a better phrase… does not matter. If you look back in 10 years, what would you envy about how you look right now. In 20 years your mobility might mean you can’t run into the ocean like you use to so don’t wait to be a certain weight to allow yourself that yellow dress in that charity shop window or to wear shorts to the first bbq of year.
Look at your arms and think of hugging your loved ones, holding a picnic blanket, rather than they could be more this or that. When you take of you what’s insides, everything else will follow. Feel good, look good and you might discover every body is a bikini body. It’s the hardest part about it “getting ready for summer”, you may shed 20kg by the time it’s your friends wedding but if you haven’t put the work in to love your body, your eyes and the sight it gives, your legs that take you up the stairs, your skin feeling a warm breeze, if you don’t learn to appreciate that, changing your dress will change how you smile in the mirror.
On the outside part of your possible love journey, you may have decided to try to sign up to the gym, you may be waiting for a eureka moment. But here for 3 things to remember in your fitness journey.
1. It does not matter if you’re trying to be stronger, agile, flexible, smaller, if you are not enjoying what you’re doing then investigate. Just because everyone in the office is into Pilates or yoga doesn’t mean you have to. Don’t envy your neighbour for running their millionth marathon or your sister for doing Hyrox, if you’ve tried it and you hated it, it might not be for you.
Make a list of things you’re comfortable trying and keep an eye out for taster sessions, ask a friend doing it and treat it like an adventure to find “your thing”. Skipping, swimming, spin, dancing, weightlifting, netball, kickboxing, mai tai, who knows where you’ll find your flow. Personally I tried many things and I hated every aspect of it and told myself to push through which results in a lot of self loathing and injuries. I’d go to the gym and feel so self conscious, I didn’t know what I was doing and I couldn’t understand why everyone else was smiling and not panting like heinous beast.
One day, I went with a friend and focused on weightlifting and the sixth time we went I had a eureka moment. “What’s that?” I asked and I bent down awkwardly and gestured pulling a bar from the floor to my waist. “Deadlifting?” She laughed, she said she didn’t do that in your workout but she can show me how. We started with a low weight but the second I dropped the bar to the floor I wanted to go again. Fast forward months later it is still my favourite thing to do and it doesn’t matter the numbers on the scale or the numbers on the bar, it’s my thing.
2. Balance is so important for your health and wellbeing. Extremes are where we can get lost and absorbed and too much of anything is not good or anyone. It can also sneak up on us. I didn’t realise one month I’d give myself one rest day and I’ll feel guilty about it. I didn’t drink enough water and I didn’t sleep enough. One day I passed out at the gym and a few hours later got a text from one of my best friends to say hey, I haven’t seen you ages. A mixture of embarrassment and burnout I spent 3 days in bed realising I’d gone too far. No transformation post is worst losing touch with what’s important. Breaks and reassessing your time can help find that balance, what’s realistic and what makes you happiest.
You often know the answer but lacking courage or a sign. This is your sign. The courage is within you.
3. Enjoy it. I can’t stress this enough, if something hurts your back or doesn’t bring you joy not only does the suck the fun out of fitness you are more likely to suffer an injury. If you’re not exercising, enjoy it. Whether it’s not for you, you don’t have time or you can’t right now, enjoy it. The rest and the naps, your body needs it more than you realise. Cleaning breaks a sweat, crank up the music and sing along, the hoover is heavy enough to be your weightlifting for the week. Find the fun in the mundane and peace in the buzz of the everyday.
The longer days and sunny weekends has never asked you for “perfect body”. It’s asking you to enjoy life, do your hobbies, take care of yourself mental health, see your family at BBQ, kayak with your friends, talk to a stranger in the pub garden. Eat ice cream on the beach and have a nap in the hammock.
Enjoy the warmer weather and remember loving yourself suits you in every single season.
Written by Nova Claasen