A Fabulous Summer Bikini Body
No magic wand that will make you look fantastic in your bikini this summer, but techniques do exist that might seem close! If you’re already pretty fit, getting your bikini body ready just means toning your muscles and improving muscle definition. But even if you need to work on a couple of areas, you can still look better and feel more confident about your looks than you do now. And once your bikini looks great on a firm body, you may look more fabulous than you even dream right now. So don’t despair if you have pockets of stubborn fat, or even just a fervent wish not to jiggle.
Dropping a Few Pounds
If you need to lose a few pounds, nutrition is SO important. Train your palate to crave healthy foods and create a sensible plan where you re-learn to enjoy healthy food. A fad diet will just leave you starving and low on energy. Healthy diets may seem slow, but allow permanent progress. Cut out fast food. Go with vegetables, fruits, and healthy meats and carbohydrates. Drink lots of water.
Toning Your Muscles
The true goal is long-term fitness. Find an exercise activity you like, ideally one that works every major muscle group. Running, swimming, cycling and kickboxing all work your mid-section and burn fat. Personally, I'm a fan of good old bodybuilding! Push the weight and watch the fat burn off!
Wrapping the Package
Make the best of the body type you have. Some figure problems can be minimized. A high-cut bikini bottom will make your legs look longer, especially paired with sandals with a wedge heel. Your posture also affect the way your body looks. Slouching can make you look like you have rolls of fat even if you are quite slim. Keep your shoulders back, your tummy tucked in and your chest pointed forward.
Make sure your suit fits. Looking stuffed into your bathing suit will make you look fat even if you aren’t. So don’t pretend you’re two sizes smaller than you are. Try the bikini on and see how it actually fits. Do some squats or kneel down to make sure it stays put. If it doesn’t, try the next size up.
A bikini can flatter, and improve your looks. Tie-sided briefs adjust to fit large rears, and the ties divert attention from any bulges. A vest-shaped top draws the eye away from a tummy that needs work, and you can add a high-cut bikini bottom. V-necked tops draw attention away from large breasts and lengthen the torso. Also, solid, dark colors minimize size. Stripes, frills, bows or flowers will give a sense of mass to a flat chest.
Getting Started
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that anything you do is an improvement. It’s better to build up slowly if you have not exercised in a while than to try to do too much and burn out before the exercise does you any good. A short burst of brisk walking will boost your metabolism, for example. You can always gradually increase the length of the walk later. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, do stretches, walk instead of driving, play with the kids outside, just get moving. We are not made to sit all day; moving around is good for you.
Give yourself credit for progress. Pictures help with this -- you’ll notice the improvements from week to week instead of the changes you still want to make.