Today I want to talk a little bit about being summer body confident. Whether for you that’s about being confident going to the beach in a bikini or in a swimsuit, or going on holiday and being by the pool. Whatever that might mean to you, it’s something that comes along with it being summertime and showing a bit more flesh than what we usually do in the winter when we’re all wrapped up and snuggly. It can be triggering and can really highlight any dissatisfaction we have with our own body, or any niggles or triggery type stuff about how we see ourselves and how we feel about ourselves.

Here’s a little video I recorded all about it! If you prefer reading, just jump past the video for the usual written blog post.

Feeling bad about our bodies is sad in a way, because we spend so much time worrying about this but in years to come, it’s not going to be something that’s going to be such a massive issue when we look back. There’s a brilliant viral video going out on Facebook at the moment, which is reminding us that our kids just want to play with us at the beach and they don’t care if you’re size 20 just that you’re rocking that bikini. They’re not bothered about how you look, they just want to play with you. It comes down to a lot of the philosophy behind Wholeheartedly Healthy, which is about going out there and just having fun and enjoying your life.

But I know that can be easier said than done when you’ve got those niggles. And I think they affect everyone, no matter what your size is, even if your body doesn’t fit what society sees as being deemed desirable. Certainly mine doesn’t. Even if it does, you can still get those niggles. It’s not one of those things that only affects certain women. Luckily, there’s quite a lot of things you can do to feel more confident when it comes to rocking a bikini or that swimsuit and making yourself feel really, really good.

I’m sharing this post in August and at end of the day, there’s no diet  that’s going to do the whole ‘drop 10 pounds in 2 weeks’ bullshit, there’s nothing that’s going to change how you are right now. What we can do is make you feel better about yourself now. So I’d like to give you some tips to hopefully help you feel more summer body confident.

Find body positive images

The first tip I’ve got is to surround yourself with more body positive images. This is something I’ve done personally and it’s just been so transformative for me. This is not necessarily about surrounding yourself with women who are curvy or a particular shape. It can be just a variety of different body shapes that are represented in a way that’s really positive. Often what we see out there on social media and in magazines is just one version of beauty or a desirable body type, which tends to be quite slim. But if you start surrounding yourself with a range of different body types, it starts to become more normal for you and alters your mindset.

And a really good place to start is Instagram. I did a post not so long ago on the blog where I shared my favourite body positive Instagram accounts, so do check that out because it’s got some really great people to follow. There’s so many fantastic body positive accounts and I really do think it can have a massive impact on how you feel. Ultimately, seeing other women who are curvy going out there and just not giving a shit is really inspiring. Follow those guys and find some more body positive stuff.

On the flip side, if you’re following people on social media who make you feel like crap about your body, unfollow them! They’re probably not going to care ultimately, but it’s going to make a massive difference for you, so just unfollow them. Surround yourself with a variety all these fantastic women who are just going out there and doing it and not caring, which is awesome!

Pamper yourself

Secondly, a really good thing that you can do is pampering yourself, and yes it’s superficial but not in a negative way. Exfoliating, getting your nails done, getting your hair done, putting some moisturiser on can all make a difference to how you feel. Your skin’s going to be smoother and more glowy. You could even get a fake tan as you can get some really good natural fake tans such as the one from Green People. If you feel like you want a bit of colour in your skin before you go on holiday, that’s great. Get some new makeup! Anything that’s going to make you feel more confident, go for it. 

Get confidence from your swimwear

The third tip is to get yourself a swimsuit or bikini that really suits your shape or that makes you feel confident, because ultimately, you can wear what the hell you want! For me, I’ve been looking at lots of the high-waisted bikinis with more structured bustier tops, and I’ve got a nice low cut swimsuit that cuts down and around the tops of your thighs, like the more vintage styles. That tends to be what I go for and I feel more confident in, but just look around in the shops and online for more alternative swimsuits and stuff that’s going to be a bit more vintage-y if that’s your thing. 

Avoid bloating foods

At this point you can’t change a lot of things about your eating, you’re not going to suddenly drop 2 stone that’s fine because you’re perfect as you are! Believe me, you are. But what you can do is avoid some of the foods that are going to make you feel more bloated, it might be bready things or really carby, starchy stuff. Even just incorporating more vegetables and more green smoothies can help. I know some women find vegetables actually make them bloat worse so look at that balance, but really just think about what works for you. Increasing how much water you’re drinking, having some salads and green smoothies, that’s all going to make you feel better and more confident when it comes to showing off a bit more flesh.

Take the pressure off

The last thing I’d like to add is being pretty or being skinny isn’t the rent that you pay for occupying a bit of space called female. I’ve seen this said quite a lot on social media, and I think it’s brilliant because it is something that especially in the summer, we feel like we are there to be looked at and we’re not! We’re there to have fun in the sun and enjoy ourselves. If you can take that pressure off yourself, that’s a really positive thing. 

I hope that those tips are super useful and will make you feel a bit more confident this summer if you’re going on holiday. Like I said, I know it’s into August now so it’s getting a little bit late and some of you might’ve already been on holiday, but hopefully it’s caught you in time.  I hope you have a really great summer and rock that fucking bikini and just have a great time!

What’s your favourite bikini or swimsuit style? What foods make you feel bloated?