Hi Friends:
It's June already! Happy summer, everyone!
As everyone knows, one of the highlights of summer is the water: whether it's the beach, water park, pool, or just the sprinklers on your lawn, nothing feels as good as just drenching yourself with cold water on a hot, hot summer day.
However, part and parcel of any summer water antics is wearing a bathing suit. Women the world over hate wearing bathing suits, hate feeling exposed and pale and not resembling Victoria's Secret models. People just generally feel self conscious. I get that.
At this point, I could go very soft on you, and encourage you to love yourself, or focus on your best feature when buying a bathing suit, or tell you how the sun is bad for you anyway--all things which are true, but are not going to get you into a suit and enjoying yourself. So, instead I will tell you the truth.
The truth is this: unless you are hugely, morbidly obese or you do indeed resemble a Victoria's Secret model, nobody is going to look at you. Unless you act wild or wear something that does not cover all your bits and pieces, no one is going to look at you. I mean, people will see you, but no one is going to stare. You're just not that interesting--and I mean that in a freeing sort of way. Nobody expects you to be a certain way--strangers don't remember when you were a size smaller or what you looked like before you had kids.
Here is another truth: everyone has hang ups and that is why no one is looking at you. They're too busy worrying about themselves. I see it all the time in the classes I teach. People don't want to participate, because they are not coordinated and think others will judge them. To which I say, "No one is looking at you, because everyone is looking at ME"--which is true in the sense that everyone is so busy trying to do the steps right and learn the moves, that they do not have time to watch--much less judge--anyone else in the class.
Here is a third truth: you might be feeling self conscious because you are not as tan or toned as you wish you were, but no one gets tan or toned by sitting around indoors.
Here is the last truth: once you get there, you'll have fun. The more you build it up in your mind, the worse it will be. The trick is to keep the time between when you decide to go to the beach, to when you actually get there as short as possible. Keep a bag ready. Get your children to prep themselves. Keep yourself, ah, groomed. And once you get there, get in the water as soon as humanly possible--then you can splashy splashy all day!
If that is not enough inspiration to get you to shed your self consciousness and hit the water for some summer fun, here are some real ladies, looking lovely, in their "fatkinis" (I did not make up that term, but I do kind of like how it empowers them). Enjoy:
http://www.xojane.com/fun/gallery/fatkini
Have a great week,
meredith
