Are you one of the thousands of women who panic at the merest mention of a bathing suit? Does the thought of donning a bikini make you shudder with unimaginable fear?
When the heat of summer arrives you may be left feeling torn between the desire to bare all and worship the sun, and complete fear and self-loathing about the thought of others seeing us emerge from the depths of winter in a bathing suit. Fashion and lifestyle magazines seem to taunt you with their screaming headlines - “GET YOUR BEST SUMMER BODY NOW!” or “Shift those unwanted kilos in time for summer”.
But why is this summer so important? Why so much emphasis on a ‘summer’ body – what’s wrong with a healthy body all year round?
Why must a summer body be so different from a winter body?
Your body is your body, all year round. If you care what it’s going to look like come summer time, then surely it’s important to care for yourself all year round? There is no logical reason to ‘get’ a summer body, but there is plenty of logic for you to just get healthy. Living a life that allows you to be healthy, happy and full of vitality is a far better goal than just losing weight just for summer. After all, it is sad to place so much emphasis on the ‘perfect body’, as if there is one specific look that is perfect for all, and that health and well-being is really as simple as achieving that look.
Being healthy isn’t all about hitting that ideal number on the scales; it’s about emotional well-being, happiness and obtaining the best health possible to sustain us for as long as possible. If you want to love the skin you’re in, eat well and exercise all year round and be grateful for everything you are and everything you have, because you are completely unique, and perfectly you.
Your body isn’t just for summer; it’s for now, tomorrow and all the spring, summer, autumn and winter days yet to come.
