Do you find it a struggle to feel good in your own skin, or to go out full bikini-mode on the beach? Here are my top tips to go past that, and enjoy the life you deserve.
Let’s Feel Good in Our Skin
As women, unless we’re born skinny, there is always a part of us that think maybe we need to lose some weight. Until society changes, of course.
And I want to be part of this change. Do you want to as well?
I was afraid for too long of eating the wrong foods, not exercising enough. And I was ashamed of being in a bikini when I wasn’t “fit enough”. I thought I didn’t belong there.
But with time, I’ve come to learn and experience that it doesn’t have to be that way. Life can, and should be, enjoyed, whatever our dress size.
So keep on reading and save this post for when you’re doubting yourself.
10 best tips to feel good in a bikini:
- List all the qualities your body has. I’m serious, literally list them all and all the things you like about it. Is your body strong, did it allow you to birth children, do you like your boobs? All the scars you have, are they a sign of a life event that you overcame? Do you like your hands? Can you squat your own bodyweight? Can you swim for a long time? Are you flexible? Do you smell nice? List all these things and appreciate them more.
- Look at yourself in the mirror, naked. And repeat several days in a row. Slowly, you’ll see your body for what it really is, not the distorted image you have built up in your head. We can think so much that our belly is hanging, or our arms flabby, our thighs ginormous, that we soon remove every aspect of reality. Take a look and see it like for the first time.
- Move your body in a way that feels good to you. You were given a perfect machine, where your heart beats, your skin scabs when you’re wounded, your bones re-form when they’re broken. Give it some exercise. Like a dog that needs to stretch their legs and run around, so do you! So do what makes you feel happy, whether it’s yoga, swimming, surfing, walking, working out, hiking, dancing, climbing, football, and so many more. Feel your body and watch yourself do amazing things, and feel good in your own skin.
- Eat good foods that make you feel great, internally and externally. Lots of vegetables, lots of water, healthy fats and protein. That won’t make you bloated but satiated, full for longer, they’ll give your skin an extra glow. When you eat good foods, you know you’re taking care of your body. Studies show that when you perceive that something is good for you, it will be taken as such by your body, and the opposite is true. Let’s say you’re eating bread. If you think you shouldn’t, your body will react badly to it. However if you think that bread is good, you love it and it’s nourishing you, you’re more likely to reap the benefits and nourishment.
- Who cares? I mean, who cares if you’ve got rolls, and cellulite, and bigger thighs than your neighbour? Apart from you. People are too busy looking at themselves. When you realise that people will have forgotten about how look in about 3 minutes, it takes the pressure off. And if they don’t, maybe you shouldn’t be close to them.
- No ones knows what size you’re wearing. It’s mad, but it’s true. No one knows. So why put a pair of trousers that you loved back on the rack, because “your size doesn’t fit”. Try one size up, or one down. This has been one of the biggest game-changers in my life. Brands aren’t consistent with their sizes, sometime a size 10 is going to be tight, an 8 too big, and an XL just right. I know, sometimes we think that if we fit into three sizes up, it means that we have a serious issue. Unless you used to fit into three sizes down, maybe there is a problem with the sizing. Your clothes have to fit you, not the other way around. Period.
- Worst case scenario, you’re going to make someone feel good about themselves. And they won’t tell you, so you’re just spreading joy ! If you’re bigger than someone, if they’re small-minded – and to be honest, we all suffer from comparisonitis sometimes, even if for a split second – then great, maybe they’ll feel good about it. But let’s stop the comparison game. You haven’t been through what that overweight person has gone through, or maybe you’re bigger than this one but you don’t have the same genes. We’re all different, with our own story. Yes, there are skinny genes, for a small percentage of the population, let’s get over it. And mainly, let’s not compare ourselves to them.
- Make memories, not restrictions. I see sometimes women by the beach who don’t want to go in the water because their swimsuits don’t cover them enough. What’s that about? Get into the water, enjoy that feeling of being alive, tread water, drink salty water by mistake, LIVE. And if that bothers you too much, don’t take pictures 😉
- On that same topic, what do you want to remember when you’re 90 and wrinkly? Do you want to remember the shame you used to feel, and all the missed opportunities? Or do you want to remember how much you dared, and lived? How you did everything to feel good in your own skin? I know which one I’m choosing …
- Last one, we don’t know how long we’ve got on this earth. We take it for granted but what if you had one year left? One month? Would you act differently? I’m not saying eat and drink anything, but how would you see your life differently? What would you try? What would you stop making excuses for? When you’re skinnier, lighter, when you fit into the dress … Or is it NOW?
Changing Society one Bikini At a Time
All of these tips might be the opposite of everything you see in the magazines, especially in summer. Literally the other day, I could see only diets and tips to get skinnier in the shop. Out of my top 10, one is about food, the other one about exercise. The rest, it’s all in the mindset.
Don’t let social construct tell you that, unless you have a flat stomach, you don’t deserve to wear a bikini. That until your legs are skinny you can’t wear the shorts. Whether you’re a size 10 or a size 22, you have the power to put on a bikini.
So get it out of your wardrobe, away from the “one day” pile, and wear it now.
If you think you can get there one day, but want to explore ways to lose weight naturally. If you want to take control of your health because you feel like it’s long overdue. If you don’t think your current weight is healthy yet.
Contact me, reach out, we can work together.
It’s time to feel good in your own skin again.
For more resources like that, check out:
7 Ways to Improve Your Life and Be Healthy Right Now
Say STOP to a Frustrating Diet
Why You Should Exercise (And It’s Not to Lose Weight)
7 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight
