by Ysabel J. Doran

Created on: May 08, 2008   Last Updated: May 20, 2008

Swimsuit season... Oh, how we dread it! You've heard enough times that you should accept your body for all the beautiful things it can do, but this is a difficult task when magazines and television continue to show you how you do not measure up.

It's no secret. The first step to body confidence is accepting that hardly anyone, no matter how close to magazine perfection they seem, is satisfied with every aspect of their appearance. Next, understand that you scrutinize yourself much more harshly than other people do. After all, they're worrying about their own bumps and dimples.

That's philosophical advice though, and as the days grow longer, time to get a good summer body attitude grows short. What you need right away are practical tips. So, starting now...

No more criticizing your body:

Banish summer fashion magazines and model competition TV from your reading and viewing list. Fashion is fun, but the unrealistic airbrushed model photos do not promote a healthy body attitude. Models have unusual body proportions, and they are paid because of it. That's not wrong, but it's not an attainable goal for most of us. So put these things out of sight until autumn. Instead...

Exercise your body:

You don't need to become a jock in the remaining spring weeks - just increase your activity level a little. This builds your body confidence in two ways by eventually helping you be more physically fit, and more importantly for the immediate season, by quickly increasing the positive neurotransmitters in your brain, making you feel more upbeat about everything, including how you look.

Nourish your body:

Replace half your daily junk food in your diet with nutritious alternatives. Notice that sentence says "half", and not "all". There is no need to inflict an extreme diet upon yourself in order to do right by your body. The idea behind this is that extreme "bikini diets" feel like a punishment to your body; and punishing behaviors reinforce the deep down notion that your body is bad. Instead, add nutritious menu items as a body confidence boosting treat.

Flatter your body:

Buy a well fitting bathing suit. If you haven't shopped for one of these in years, it's time jump back into the swim of things. Before you shop, steel yourself. Fitting room light is unflattering to everyone. You WILL look better in real daylight. If you are fair skinned, try a spray tan before you go shopping. It's been demonstrated that the swimsuit buying experience is less traumatic with a tan, and a fake tan is the healthiest tan.

Make sure your bathing suit covers everything you want covered. Feeling great about your whole self does not obligate you to show it all to the world. You're entitled to maintain a little mystery; and thankfully supportive, helpfully "shaping" swimsuits have moved beyond the "grandma" styling you may remember, and are now designed with fashion conscious women of all sizes in mind.

And finally, highlight what's best about your body:

This is what a bathing suit cover-up is for. For instance, find a sarong that takes the focus off your legs in favor or your elegant shoulders; or, if your legs are great, a tunic that showcases those lovely gams. After all, the summer season should not be about covering up - it should be about enjoying the warm weather and the freedom to show what you love most about your body.

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