When I was young, I was always beach ready.
I never bothered with swimsuit coverups, hats or beauty treatments, there was no workout plan, just a swimsuit, an oversized tee, a bag of good books, and I beach ready.
There came a time where I was a bit more self conscious about how I looked, taking care of my skin, and my fitness level — especially in a swimsuit. To get beach ready, I would up my cardio game and diet to make sure I was in good shape before hitting the sand. A swimsuit with matching coverup and sandals, a hat and a major SPF were added to my beach ready routine.
Now, I look at my dry flaky pale skin and cracked heels and think, “Yikes! Only two months until summer!” Two months is actually plenty of time to enjoy pre summer pampering, which always feels so very wonderful when I take the time to do it. So while two months isn’t enough time to go from completely out of shape to Bay Watch Babe, it is enough time to get the ball rolling to a healthier lifestyle and to start to get into the laid back vibe of summer. Here are five things to do now to be beach ready:
How to Prepare your Body for the Beach: 5 Tips
Amp up body care
After having worn jeans, closed toe shoes and long sleeved tops for several months, I notice my skin is a bit dry–well parched actually. I’ve dusted off my body scrubs, and alpha hydroxy body washes to begin to slough off dry skin and boost circulation. I am a fan of dry brushing before my daily shower as well. As summer approaches, my skin will be ready for body bronzing, spray tans and self tanners. Personally, I like body bronzer better than self tanners, but either way, my neglected winter skin is definitely slated to get more love.
Focus on Hands and Feet
This comes the day after one of my nails broke and I noticed that my cuticles are super dry! None the less, since I don’t tend to do much on the mani/pedi side during the winter, my plan is to give my feet and hands some love over the next couple of months. I have been using Amlactin on my heels each night to help reduce the dryness and the minor cracking I get during the winter. For deeper heel cracking try BabyFeet or products with Urea as an ingredient to help slough off calluses and dead skin.
Take Baby step into a healthier diet and fitness plan
Ten years ago, I lost thirty pounds and have kept it off. I knew I wanted to make life changes, and that making all the needed changes would be overwhelming and difficult to maintain, so I started taking baby steps. For example, I knew that drinking more water was an easy thing to do to improve my health, so I made it a habit. Once I had a habit of drinking more water, I cut out soft drinks. On the fitness side of things, I committed to a twenty minute walk every day, and when that became a habit, I took up yoga. I am not much of a gym person any more, so I took up dancing and ice dance as hobbies. Over time, I built a healthy lifestyle by making simple changes into habits, one or two at a time. This is how I maintain my weight loss. I make little tweaks here and there to keep things in line. I am not an advocate of temporary diets to get in shape for various events, I believe in getting healthy for life.
Plan your summer style:
I’ve started clipping pictures of summer looks to try. I sometimes go shopping just to try the new looks–specifically without buying anything. I take note of what I really love, and make sure it goes with other things in my wardrobe before buying. It helps to build your wardrobe intentionally, so you have things that work well with what you already have and look good on you. I keep a folder with looks I love–and then buy the ones that stay on my mind. New additions to my wardrobe have to go with three other items to be kept–and I get rid of things I am no longer wearing to make way for the new things I add.
Start building a summer reading list:
Nothing is more fun than reading at the beach or beside the pool on warm summer days. Usually, I read business books, and take courses, but in the summer, I like juicy novels and mysteries. When I was growing up, I always looked forward to reading. My sister and I read Perry Mason novels, and Harlequin Romances we got from our cousins in Vermont. It brings a smile thinking of those long warm summer days in the chez lounge with a good slather of baby oil and iodine or Coppertone, my hair spritzed with Sun In or lemon and a Perry Mason mystery I couldn’t put down.
Shop My Favorite Summer Skin Care to Prepare your Body for the Beach:
So yes, summer is around the corner, and pampering and preparing is so much fun these days. I’d love to hear what’s on your list of favorite books or summer looks you want to try. Click Here!
