It’s time to reject impossible beauty standards.
It’s that time of year again. The temperature is rising and we are all dreaming of lazy summer holidays spent sipping cocktails on a beach. But along with this image comes something a little more sinister. The bikini body or if you’re a guy, the beach body. Suddenly every magazine article or online post is filled with tips for making sure you measure up on the beach. Often these come alongside crazy promises and timelines, things like, ‘Drop a dress size and achieve your dream bikini body in just two weeks!’ Not only is trying to change your body so quickly and radically bad advice, it usually comes with a recommendation for a diet that will feel like starvation. The problem is, that these types of diets and the image of the bikini body in general, make us feel terrible about our self-image while promoting extreme and unsustainable eating plans.
Well, I’m sick of seeing this type of bad advice. I’m bored of being told that only one type of body shape is acceptable. I want to challenge the bikini body myth for good. Here are just a few reasons you should never fall for the hollow promises of the bikini body.
Skinny Doesn’t Equal Fit
Yes, if you just eat grapefruit for two weeks you will get thinner. You will also be exhausted, deprived of key nutrients and essentially starving yourself. Most ‘quick fix’ summer diets come with extreme calorie suppression, which might make you skinny, but won’t make you healthy. And honestly, skinny for skinny’s sake is a terrible idea. You will look ill, not sexy or athletic. A strong, fit and sustainably healthy body, whatever its shape will always win out on the beach.
Health and Fitness Matter All Year Long
There seems to be a strange myth that it only matters what your body looks (and feels) like in the summer. In the winter, we should all just pile on the layers and stay at home eating chocolate and watching Netflix. Then come June we hit the crash diet to fit into our favourite shorts. This is a really unhealthy way of thinking about fitness. Health and fitness aren’t just about how you look in your clothes. They are about boosting your overall health and happiness all of the time. And radically changing your diet regularly is incredibly unhealthy. The only way to maintain a sustainable health and fitness programme is to make it part of your routine. All year long.
Bikini Bodies Come in All Shapes and Sizes
Looking at magazines and Instagram, it’s easy to believe that there is only one acceptable type of bikini body. You see long, impossibly thin models draped out on towels and dream of a body that’s unattainable for most people. The wonderful thing about people is they come in all shapes and sizes. The truth is there is no one bikini body shape, and I think that we should be celebrating that. Own your bikini body, not some magazine editor’s perception of what you should be.
Fad Diets are Impossible to Maintain
You want to know the most depressing thing about beach-ready and bikini diets? Most people can’t do them. And that’s not surprising when so many of them leave you hungry and miserable. You’re essentially signing up for something that’s almost certain to fail. Leaving you feeling disappointed and no healthier than you were before. It makes much more sense to start a slow, steady, and sustainable eating and exercise plan that will see you feeling great through summer and beyond.
Want to get fit this summer? That’s great! Just make sure you do it the smart way! Here at FitFusion PT, we can help you build a healthier lifestyle and improve your overall fitness. Get in touch to find a personal training programme or group fitness class that can transform your approach to healthy living. Next week I will be sharing some smart summer fitness tips (without a bikini body in sight!) Until then, stay amazing.
