WELLNESS--It’s that time of year again. Summer is approaching and magazines are featuring the latest articles on “bikini fat-blasting tips” and “how to get fit for summer.” While I am the first to admit that I have written many such articles for various publications, I thought it was time to embrace another even more important truth; that we should LIVE LIKE IT’S SUMMER ALL YEAR LONG!
What does that mean exactly? For one, why not start celebrating your body today as you are even if you haven’t blasted all the fat. It’s sort of like using your fine china every day instead of just when company comes over. It’s time to stop postponing our happiness for some far off goal that may or may not be reached.
We have all done this in some form or another. I know I have certainly postponed plans for when I have more money or when I meet that dream mate. Well, perhaps we all need to work on loving ourselves from the inside out and then the outside in regardless of whether or not we’re beach ready.
As a wellness coach, I am the first to speak about getting fit, eating right, and becoming the best version of you that you can be. Along with that however, comes a lot of pressure. Sometimes, the very act of transforming our life while liberating on one hand can also be very daunting. Transforming means that we need to become something other than who we are right now. That takes us away from the present moment and often causes us to miss out.
What if we all surrender just a little? What if we let ourselves off the hook? What about hitting the beach un-waxed, unfit, and unassuming? Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to live fully and completely regardless of where we are at in our fitness or body goals.
Being body conscious can be two-fold. It can mean that we are conscious of putting our best selves out into the world and we become keenly aware of what we are putting into our body…that’s a good thing. But it can also have another meaning; that we are self-conscious of our bodies and feeling less than those who look better than we do.
With summer approaching I suggest that yes, you up your fitness routine, yes focus on eating a healthier diet, yes moisturize, wax, and do whatever it is that you need to do to feel good. But once you have that underway, relax. Breathe. Meditate. Love yourself. Forgive yourself for not being perfect. Embrace your insecurities and those things you feel may be flaws while learning to stand in that quiet confidence knowing that you are always a work in progress. But for today, you will simply “be.”
Now go put on that skimpy bikini, head to the closest pool or beach, and OWN it!
(Jay Bradley is an anti-aging & wellness coach living in Los Angeles. He is the author of LIVE LOOK FEEL, The 12-Week Guide to Live Longer, Look Younger & Feel Better! Jay can be reached at: jaybradleylifestyle.com)
-cw
Live Like It’s Summer ALL Year Long!
