Guess what? It's swimsuit time again! Yes,
that annual ritual has
once again arrived, when legions of women seek to find
that "perfect"
suit that will play up their best features and
stunningly shield what
they consider to be their body's problem spots.
(Don't shoot me--I'm just the messenger!)
Now that I've put a couple beach-going decades behind
me, I've
compiled a few observations that always prove true:
--Get a suit that's age-appropriate. No one
wants to see a string
bikini on someone old enough to be your mother, no
matter how
great her body shape might be. Ditto for
speedos, guys.
--Modesty IS classy. Don't overdo your sun
exposure, if you
know what I mean.
--Color matters. I'm Irish with fair skin, and
if I had an all-black
suit, I would look like death warmed over. Try
some greens, corals,
reds, pinks, and blues. Black looks great on
medium-to-dark
skin tones. White looks great as a coverup or
accent.
--Swimsuit shopping? Bring an honest friend.
--Consider your beach activities. Nowadays, you
can get very
attractive bathing suits with features perfect for
surfing, bodyboarding,
active swimming, diving and more.
--You get what you pay for. I bought a great
suit in a perfect color
that I loved one year. It lasted exactly one
year. Bummer. If you
want suits to last, you're going to have to pay for
quality materials.
--Use delicate wash cycles and detergents.
Again, I learned this
the hard way.
--Always have a backup. Do I really need to tell
embarrassing
personal stories to get this point across?
--Look for suits that enhance your best features and
camouflage
your not-so-perfect features. Don't go for a
suit that looks good
on your friend; go for a suit that looks good on you.
Puzzled as to what kind of suit will work for
you? Year after year,
I've found no better site than Lands' End when it
comes to
swimsuit shopping. Sometimes I buy their suits;
sometimes I
don't...but I always find out what the latest styles
are, what will
look best on me, and which colors are in season that
will flatter,
not flaunt, my fair skin.
When I visited the site this morning, I found they
have a special that
ends today: buy 2 separates, get $5 off each
(kids' suits, too).
Note: I don't get any benefit from referring you
to Lands' End--and
this isn't a "sales pitch". I just want to
spread the word and turn my
readers into happy swimsuit-wearers! :-)
=====
Notice I haven't said anything about losing weight to
get ready to
wear your swimsuit. Why not?
Because I want to encourage you to make the best of
your features
no matter where you are in your weight-loss
journey. I'm hoping that
now in your maintenance phase, like me, so it may be
just a matter
of toning up a bit, or losing 3-5 pounds of that
winter weight to look
your best.
But if you're not...so what? Are you at least
doing something to
work on getting back to your natural weight?
Then good for you! You'll
get there.
In the meantime, why agonize over how you look on the
beach? No one
looks like the models in the magazines--because
they've been airbrushed
to begin with. Trust me, no one's looking at
you; everyone's obsessing over their own image. It's
crazy.
Just have fun.
The swimsuit is half-empty or half-full. Which way will you choose to
see
yourself?
=====
Losing weight the RPDD way...
I want to give a shout-out to my youngest brother, who
recently lost 20
pounds the RPDD way. He made a few simple,
sustainable changes
to his diet and daily routine, and he looks and feels
great.
He has a crazy routine because he works nights as a
police officer, so
if he can do it, you can, too.
He eats scrambled eggs for breakfast and a big salad
with meat and
cheese for lunch. He does a few sit-ups every
day. I think he runs once
in a while, too--I don't think that's an everyday
thing. For dinner, he
pretty much eats what he wants, within reason.
He drinks water or
coffee with less fat and sugar.
That's it! Nothing too radical. But he
lost 20 pounds. And he's in his
thirties, so it's not like he has blazing metabolism
going for him.
=====
Happy swimsuit shopping! Make it fun this year...