The Look: Bikini Bod

 Bikini: Triangl Brigitte Bikini (Get It Here)

I’ve never been one for swimsuit photos, but after almost a year of upping my workout routine I thought ‘what the heck!’ Like most young women, I have spent most of my adult life having a negative relationship with my body. From dreading buying that pair of jeans, to covering up my self-named ‘thunder thighs’ every time it was warm enough to brave a swimsuit.

But for the first time in my life, I am not embarrassed to say that I am starting to feel more confident in my own skin. So when Triangl sent me this stunning neoprene bikini, I decided to head to the beach and take some snaps. Yes: I will never be Miranda Kerr. Yes: I have stretch marks. Yes: My thigh gap is smaller than one inch, but, you know what: I’m ok with that. This beautiful neoprene bikini hugs my curves like a glove, giving me that extra inch of body confidence I need to bare all (well…nearly) on the beach.

 

I’m still not gonna get out all the trumpets and exclaim that ‘I have the perfect bikini body.’ As a matter of fact, you’re more likely to find me whacking out the odd violin and play ‘an ode to my chub thighs.’ But I’m getting better. And, from seeing such a huge improvement in both my body confidence and my physical shape in the past year, I thought I would share with you my tips.

Disclaimer: Girrrrlll… you know I’m not a personal trainer/dietician/ whatever. But I would love to think that I’d helped one person feel just that little bit better about their bod. And hey; I’m gonna take that chance!

1. Aim for strong not skinny 

Back in my teenage years, I put far too much emphasis on what the scales were reading. It only took me until now to realise that the scales can often be our arch nemesis. But once I aimed to build muscle and fitness, I actually started enjoying working out. I set myself cardio goals and made it a personal challenge. Believe me you will get such a good buzz when you can finally do those 30 stomach crunches!

It really saddens me that young women compare themselves to those stunners in glossy mags. Guess what? Those stretch marks? That cellulite? Once little poof of the Photoshop wizards wand and it’s all gone. Beyonce has cellulite. Almost everyone has stretch marks: own it!

With models, it’s all in their genes! As someone who has worked closely with runway models I can only begin to tell you the amount of junk food these girls eat backstage! They have some sort of turbo-power metabolism. We should aim for what’s healthy for us.

GRRRRRR at diets! C’mon; who wants to give up ice cream? These calorie-cutting diets seem all great for that three month program, but once we ditch it, all the weight will come creeping back on.

My motto is: enjoy life! Don’t skip those poolside mojitos with friends or that crème brulee, but do you really need fast food? Similarly, make exercise something you really enjoy. Working out doesn’t have to be doing burpees until you faint, it can be as simple as an afternoon walk or a salsa class. Find what you find fun and stick to it!

Perfection is over-rated. Imagine just how much pressure you would be under if you were Gigi Hadid? Embrace all the beautiful things about yourself inside and out.

Rachel

xoxo