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| Image from google edited by me. |
Hello girls, and welcome to my new series; Springing Into Summer. Summer is flying around the corner at a ridiculous rate, which means time for summer clothes, makeup and holidays (unless you live in England, like me, where summer still means umbrellas, jumpers and wellies...). I absolutely cannot wait, as I have so much to look forward to; two weeks in Spain, and V Festival at the the end of August, as well as lots of partying and going out with friends, a few days staying at a cottage in Wales... I have a feeling it's going to be great!
However, summer also means shorts, bikinis and crop tops, which for a lot of people can lead to a lot of body-confidence issues and crash diets in order to look "Sexy for Mexi(co)" or sticking to "No Carbs before Marbs". But honestly, crash diets and ridiculous amounts of exercise aren't going to work, especially not if you still don't feel confident and happy with your body. So this blog will hopefully give you a few tips to tone up, get healthier and love your body. If you would like me to do a post about weight loss, then comment below as I am currently losing weight (Lost 2st since Christmas yayyyy), but I don't want to focus on that today, because this post is about bikini-confidence, not weight loss.
1. Stick to a healthy diet for at least a few weeks before your holiday.
Really, you should be eating healthily year round, but trust me I know that's not always easy! However, eating healthily is so great for your body; you feel extra-energised, you don't feel bloated, plus you'll generally feel a little more confident with your body knowing that you're eating healthily, rather than eating McDonald's and Chinese every other night!
Foods to fill up on: Fruit is great in summer, as you can get strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, mangoes, pineapples... The list goes on! Vegetables are also great when your trying to eat healthily, as they're filling and provide loads of essential nutrients and fibre, but are low in calories. Finally, protein is great if your trying to tone up, as it encourages muscle growth (don't ask me why, I'm not a scientist, I just know it is!)
Foods to avoid: Don't ban any foods, as that's pretty unhealthy. It's not any food that's unhealthy, it's the amount you eat of it that's unhealthy! However, avoid fizzy drinks (even if they're diet) as they cause water retention and this makes you bloat. Also, try to limit your intake of fast food/greasy food as much as you can, as this also causes bloating and break outs, and just a general feeling of sluggish-ness.
2. Tone up!
For some reason, I find exercising pretty fun (although finding the motivation to get to the gym is a different story), so I have a lot of tips about toning up. So many women are afraid of doing weight training because they think they'll turn into a super muscley body builder, but this is such a myth! Women have lower levels of testosterone than men and so it's much harder for them to build muscle. Weight training defines your muscles and burns so many calories, so if you are looking to lose weight and tone, then add some weight training to your cardio routine!
Workouts to try out: Cassie @ Blogilates - Don't be mistaken into thinking that pilates is relaxing and easy; it's the complete opposite! These online workouts are so tiring and painful, but they're great for toning. Cassie has so many different workouts to target any area you could want; inner thighs, love handles, abs, arms... Do one of these a day for just three weeks before your holiday and you'll see a huge difference!
Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred - I love Jillian Michaels (you may recognise her from The Biggest Loser USA) and find her really inspirational, and this 30 day shred is incredible. There are 3 levels to it, and each level lasts 10 days. I have linked level 1, but a quick youtube search will bring up all 3 of them. Enjoy!
3. Love yourself and work that bikini!
Trust me with this, every single girl on the beach feels/has felt self-conscious in their bikini! It takes a lot of confidence to strut along the beach wearing next to nothing, surround by hundreds of people, many of who will be slimmer and more toned than you, many of who will be curvier or bigger than you... But here's the secret. You know that really slim, gorgeous girl you wish you looked like on the beach? She wishes she had your curves. You know that curvy girl that looks incredible in a bikini? She wishes she was slimmer. Nobody's 100% happy with their shape, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear a bikini with confidence.
Tips to remember: - You probably don't know anybody else on the beach except your friends/family, so nobody will be looking at your body. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself.
- A tan can make everyone look a bit slimmer, so if you need to fake it, fake it! Get a spray tan or slap some fake tan on, anything that boosts your confidence (but avoid the sunbeds, please!!)
- Try not to compare yourself to anybody else on the beach. I know it's hard but it doesn't help anything.
- If you're really self conscious, stick to lying on a sun lounger! Everyone looks slimmer lying down, so just chill out and read a book, and if you need to go for a walk, cover up in a stylish sarong.
- Find a bikini or swimming costume that suits your shape! This will be in my next post, so keep your eyes open!
Wow, this was a long post! Hope you all enjoyed it, and remember, the main thing is to enjoy yourself! Whether you're in LA or your back garden, just have fun and try to forget any body worries. Keep your eyes open for the next post which will be up next week, and will be about choosing the perfect bikini/swimming costume for your body!
Talk to you later lovelies,
Emma x
