Don't ruin your summer with a wrong pair

We’ve hit the beginning of June, but it’s not too late to shape up for that bikini body you crave. I have to admit, I am embarrassed by the way I look in a two piece, but I think the same could be said by any man. I am glad the swimsuit got names after the Bikini Island and not Pukapuka though. But I digress.

People tend to think about dieting and getting in shape on just a couple dates during the year. The first one is New Year’s and lots of folks make a resolution (soon broken) that this year somehow is going to be different and this time they are going to be diligent about their exercise regiment. For a small percentage this might actually be true.

The second time of the year that people think about weight and size is when summer is about to roll around and we picture ourselves on the beach and don’t want to be mistaken for a whale. (or perhaps a large walrus, if you’re a man with a mustache.) The picture can scare people into trying drastic measures, but really you can make an impact on your appearance in a relatively short period of time.

You can start to see increased tone and some minor weight loss within a few weeks. Healthy weight loss programs should have one to two pounds a week as a goal. That seems to be a fairly easy number to attain, and the weight generally will stay off if you lose it slowly. (That is the way you put in on in the first place.)

But weight loss isn’t the key to feeling better about yourself on the beach or at the pool. The key is body composition, not scale weight, and the other factor is what is inside your head. If you are constantly telling yourself that you look bad, your walk will reflect that.

You can instantly transform yourself physically by transforming yourself mentally. Raise your head and hold it high. Straighten your posture and walk like a winner. Even if you are faking it (at first) this will make a huge difference in how you appear to others. I’ve seen so called “big girls” who were head turners because they decided that they were. When I was a featured player in Rocky Horror one of my co-stars was ‘larger than life’ and played the oh-so-sexy Magenta. The fact that she was overweight was overshadowed by her personality and her take-no-prisoners attitude.

You can have that same result by having a better self image in your head. Don’t give up on fitness and health, but focus on your training like it’s just a part of your life. You are as beautiful as you think you are, and you can take that to the bank.

By: Robert Britt