Surviving Swimsuit Season
I recently travelled to Puerto Rico with my husband and it was kinda last minute. In the past, a trip to a tropical island meant I was in full-on diet mode leading to our departure date: restrictive dieting, increased cardio, severe anxiety, body hate, all of it! But this time I literally had 2 weeks to get myself mentally and physically ready to live in a swimsuit around a bunch of people where less is definitely more. Oh gawd.
I looked at my swimsuits and bikinis from past seasons and knew that I needed to do a re-up (The Wire: IYKYK); “crunchy” elastic and thin material was not a good start. I started scouring websites for cute looks, hoping that I might look 1% as good as the models (still fighting the negative self-talk and I’m not ashamed to admit it). When the deliveries arrived I cringed as I put on the first swimsuit. But then I stopped. Before I looked in the mirror, I reminded myself that I accepted and respected my body. I was eating intuitively, embracing movement that made me feel good, and was not, and never ever would be, a size 0 or 2 and that’s ok! Well guess what, when I turned to face the mirror, my first thought was “hey, I don’t look so bad”. I walked down the hall to show my husband and I can tell from the look on his face that he thought I looked pretty darn good too!
Fast forward to day 1 in the sun.
Bikini and sarong on, I walked out to the pool area. I was still feeling a bit hesitant about how I looked, but there was no turning back. As I started to look around at the other guests I very quickly realized 2 things:
(1) no one cared about what I looked like more than me
(2) there were so many different body types, wearing a wide range of swimsuits, and every woman was owning it!
All that stress, all that worry, all that anxiety was for nothing! I was here to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy vacation. As we travelled around the island, checking out different coasts and locations, I worried less and less about how I look and focused more on how I felt. I exercised in the mornings before the heat kicked in (80 degrees at 7am with 80% humidity is perfect for a run - lol!), enjoyed delicious local cuisine without guilt or worry, and focused on a boatload of self-care (meditation, pilates, and sleep).
I know its easier said than done when it comes to surviving swimsuit season. So if you need more tips, I compiled a few that may help point you in the right direction:
Embrace body positivity - everyone has a different body and genetic blueprint, and there is no such thing as a perfect body
Find a flattering swimsuit - there are so many styles out there, find the one that makes you feel comfortable and confident
Practice self-care - prioritize self-care leading up to swimsuit season or start right now; embrace movement to feel good, stay hydrated, get enough sleep
Focus on self-acceptance - replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations and remind yourself of all of your strength and things that you love about your body; be kind to yourself and practice self-acceptance
Develop a healthy mindset - shift your focus from solely focusing on appearance to embracing a balanced healthy lifestyle (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually); focus on feeling strong, energetic and confident
At the end of the day, it’s all about you and how YOU feel. Don’t let the fear of other people judging you, stop you from enjoying your fun, your vacation, your freedom. Stop body bashing and respect body diversity, especially yours. You are amazing and deserve to enjoy all the happiness in the world
I’d love to hear how you handle swimsuit season. If you are struggling or thriving, lets talk about it. And if you want to connect 1:1, click on the link below to schedule a free health discovery session with me so that I can learn more about how I can help you reach a place of self-love and acceptance, no matter your size.
