Summer's round the corner. You know what that means. Bikini season. Even now, in Spring, shorts are back. More skin is exposed as temperatures soar. Does that make you nervous?

If you're fine with that, good for you. For the rest of us, it is time to take stock of the past season's excesses. That roll of flab. Pasty skin. How would that look in a swim suit? Forget the swimsuit, how would that look in shorts and a tank top?

Let's start with the easy part. Getting your skin soft, silky and touchable. All you need is a scrub and a moisturizer. A simple daily rubdown in the shower with dead sea salts would slough off the dead skin cells beautifully. If your skin is dry, then you could mix dead sea salt with olive oil into the paste after your shower. Rub all over your body and rinse off. It is rather messy but effective.

After every shower slather on some moisturizer all over your body. It would leave your skin soft and touchable. Get into the habit of caring for your skin all over before summer so when the time comes, your skin would be lovely.

Getting your skin radiant is the easy part. The tough part is getting your body sleek enough for that bikini.

You have three possible options.

1. Leave it. Who cares? It's your body anyway.
2. Fake it. You might even get through the entire Spring and Summer without anyone knowing.
3. Get in shape so you'd be able to flaunt what you've got. There's still time if you start now.

If you prefer the first option, then go ahead.

If the second option appeals to you, you could invest in shapewear. You know, control tops stockings, girdles, the works and wear them all under your summer clothes to hide it all under a long skirt. If you arms bother you, then you could wear long billowy sleeves as camouflage. If you have to get into the water, look for a full swimsuit that would hold in your tummy. Or you could hold your breath until you get into the water and hold your breath until you get to the changing room and back into your fat binding arsenal.

You can hide only so much. It would be better if you whip your body in shape. If you start exercising now and eating moderately, you'd make enough progress by summer to be proud of the way you look in your swim suit. Personally, I prefer tae bo as it gives visible results quickly. Plus it is a lot more fun than jogging on the treadmill or doing repitive exercises in the gym. In any case, pick a workout system you find enjoyable and can stick with through summer.

Exercise alone isn't going to help if you eat like a pig. I have a problem with my weight and it stems from my emotional eating. The doctor said I had to lose weight for health reasons and the only way I'd succeed was if I had my mouth sewn shut. I didn't of course, but do try to moderate my food intake. Having a food journal where you record down everything you eat and drink (yes, drinks can contain a lot of calories) then tallying up the number of calories you've consumed can be quite an eye opener. Do that. Then decide what you're going to cut down in order to lose weight.

Now on to the pasty skin issue. Forget about baking yourself in the sun. Exposure to those UV rays would only increase your chances of getting skin cancer. Do what the celebrities do. Spray on your tan, or at least smooth it on with a sunless tanning lotion. Do it after exfoliating your skin as these self tanners work by coloring the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. If your skin is flaky, the tan would be patchy.

Start now and you'll more than happy to face summer in your bikini.

Janice Wee
©2006

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