It’s that time of year. You may still be plotting to lose those last few ‘cosmetic’ kilos so that you feel more comfortable lying on a beach or you may even be there already, trying to avoid stripping off in the sun and cursing yourself for not being more disciplined as you eye up the (surposedly) slimmer/fitter/younger/more beautiful women around you.

Get a perspective…

So, let’s just spend a minute getting it in perspective. Is 2-5 kg really a life or death situation? Is your holiday truly going to be a disaster because you could not resist hitting the aperos and the rosé before hitting the beach?! The answer is….no, and it is all about having the right attitude. A real bikini body attitude.

Perfection is boring…..

No one is perfect. The perfect body is a myth and we need to be kinder to ourselves and stop demanding perfection. No one is going to notice our ‘wobbly’ bits on the beach, even if we ourselves are self-conscious of them. No one is going to be sniggering about our droopy cleavage even if we’d prefer that swimming costumes came with reinforced support scaffolding. No one is going to be shuddering at the vision of a string bikini nuclear fall out. Your partner (unless he has Strauss-Kahn tendencies) is going to be much more interested in spending time drinking, eating, building complicated sand castles and spending quality time with you. So why or why make yourself miserable about your weight?

Flaunt your assets!

Still not convinced? Think complement, rather than hide, think enhance rather than cover up. Big sunhats, fab sunglasses, funky jewellery, colourful sundresses and bright lippy. Your icon? Sophia Loren, the ultimate ‘curvista’. Invest in a flattering swim suit (Eres sales are always good for this) and certainly do avoid pre-holiday shopping for swimwear in any shop with bright lighting and where the only mirror involves walking through the middle of the shop. Make a beeline for a nice smiley and normal looking assistant rather than the bored ‘wannabe’ looking model with legs up to her armpits. Ask them for help and advice in buying a swimming costume which makes you feel fantastic, not inadequate.

Make sure your holiday wardrobe contains clothes that you love, don’t ‘punish’ yourself further by wearing clothes that make you feel drab and even more miserable. Go on, (with a toss of the head) you deserve it…..!

Enjoy time to ‘reflect’

Holidays are usually a good time for reflection. A chance to get off that hamster wheel and reflect on the year; the good, the could be better and the exciting future. It’s also the ideal moment to think about resolutions and changes you can make in September. By all means, if you do really want to lose weight, you’ve got thinking time to plan your strategy. And, permanent weight loss truly does need a strategy if you want to avoid the annual yo-yo. A top tip here are to think about eating for your health which is a much longer term (and dare I say cleverer strategy) than aiming to eat as little as possible in order to speedily shift the weight. Need another tip? It usually takes about a month to change a habit and weight control is all about changing about habits. We tend to think it is about motivation and kick ourselves for our lack of it, but it’s actually about changing what we eat on a day to day basis so that healthy eating becomes second nature. Take a meal (breakfast), or take a food group (vegetables) and aim for simple and realistic adjustments.

Back to the beach. Just enjoy yourself, have a wonderful summer, get some down time, have fun with friends and families and return home energised, relaxed and raring to go. You truly are worth it!