by BR Kellie
If you think this is going to be a "how to get your best body ever" kind of article in which I tell you to eat your veges, munch your watermelon and get thirty minutes of exercise a day, you're wrong. I am no registered dietician, nor am I a qualified personal trainer, and I sure as heck am not a doctor. What I am is a human being who adores beauty products as much as she does the warmer months and, after a fair few spins around the sun, I've figured out quick and easy ways to get my body beach or pool ready, with narry a diet or exercise tip in sight.
So how can you strip off this summer without a second thought?
Confidence
It took seeing a trio of octogenarians wearing bikinis to make me realise that I was being ridiculous worrying about the state of my body and how it looked in a swimsuit.
First thing's first - love yourself. Love your body. Love your saggy bits. Your lumpy bits. Your stripy bits. Your body is amazing. You are amazing. Embrace you. Heck, my post-breast feeding "girls" look like half-deflated balloons and my thighs are lined with silve stripes, and cellulite and I are best friends, but I'm still putting on a bikini come summer, and if anyone judges me, that's on them.
That being said, loving yourself as you are - for me - doesn't mean not putting any effort in at all. While I'm lazy as during winter, come the warmer months I do feel better when I take these four skin care steps to get my body summer ready...
Exfoliate
I am currently a lizard. Not even joking. My leggy loos are criss-crossed with dry, scaly lines. At the moment I am not bothered by this as the only person who sees my legs up close is me. Come summer though? While I don't give two hoots about the opinion of others, I weirdly care about seeing my own legs in a Sahara-esque state on the daily. To combat this I'll be getting my exfoliation on in the shower. Not just my legs, either. The whole body will be getting the exfoliating treatment, which comes with a load of body benefits, which you can read about in this article.
Neat Feat Exfoliating Soap - rated: 5/5
Moisturise
Once in the shower, I'll be washing my limbs with a hydrating body wash, then on getting out of the shower I'll be smothering my body in a body oil.
It's not just my body that will get some tender loving hydrating care, with being in a pool a whole lot - not just in summer, but on the weekly - I'll regularly mask my hair as well.
Garnier Fructis Nourishing Banana Hair Food - rated 4.5/5
Self-tan
While, these days, I never purposefully step outside with the intention of getting a tan, I do love the look of one. Which is why you can bet I'll be getting my self-tan on as soon as the temperature warms up. While some like to go for the one and done in an hour tans, I prefer to build my tan up, and this summer I'm dead keen to try the St Tropez Purity Vitamins Body Mist, which attained the Top Rated badge with an amazing 4.6/5 overall score.
St Tropez Purity Vitamins Body Mist - rated 4.6/5
My last, non-negotiable summer product that will ensure my body really is at its best? The one thing I will not skip. The absolute must?
Sunscreen
Let's be honest, we can live happily without exfoliating or moisturising or self-tanning, but not taking the steps to protect ourselves from the sun's rays could well see said "living happily" end sooner rather than later. Or, at the very least, result in more trips to the doctor/hospital that anyone ever wants to take. When it comes to all of the above, you do you, but make sure the one thing you are doing involves applying sunscreen before you step out into the summer sun. Want to make sure that you're buying the correct sunscreen and applying it in a way that'll keep you safe? Check out this article.
Neutrogena Beach Defence Lotion SPF 50 - rated 4.8/5
How easy is that? Five super simple steps to get your body ready for summer. Best of all, you can do as little of them or as much of them as you want. In saying that, other than my one non-negotiable sunscreen tip, I do want you to remember that you're amazing, you're fabulous as you are, and that a summer-ready body is, literally, any body.
So, how will you be getting your bod into shape this summer? Will you be de-lizarding your skin? Getting your exfoliation on? Or will you be simply strutting out, being your fabulous self without doing a thing? Let us know by chatting below!
Definitely using more sunscreen!