Are You Ready For Swimsuit Season? Is Your Body Bikini Ready?

What an awful question. I mean asking someone (unless they are a Sports Illustrated model or something) if they are ready for swimsuit season is akin to asking them if they had a good time during natural childbirth (they didn't! Trust me, I know). Most friends of mine cringe at the very thought of going into the fluorescent lighted dressing rooms to try on a new swimsuit and then even worse the thought of chasing your toddlers around in full daylight booty swinging in a bikini. Every March/April I start to panic-I get that sick feeling in my stomach when passing the public pool, seeing the new suits and knowing I better get it together because I soon will be spending most days chasing a 2 and 5 year old around a pool in a bikini. Now, I am not one of those women trying to catch everyone's eye -I just want to feel comfortable with myself while running around half naked (bikini) in full daylight around hundreds of people that I don't know (easy, right?). I want to say to myself that this is okay, fun even, instead of dreading taking of my swimsuit cover and sucking in my stomach as far as it will go. Keep in mind that I have that whole I am much bigger than I really am body issue so I guess the swimsuit dread goes along with that. I don't want to be thinner, but I do want to be firmer and toned. So, this year I have decided to take a different approach than years past and instead of spending lots of money on a gym that I will go to only a few times, or crash dieting, I am targeting the areas of my body that I do not like and working on toning them up so that I do feel more comfortable.

Recently while reading other blogs (I love to read other people's blogs) I found a blog by Christopher Warden (he is a Certified Specialist in Health, Fitness and Performance Enhancement) . I emailed him and asked him a few questions and he was quick to reply with some great solutions. He gave me some very specific ideas on how to go about getting my body back in shape and I was really impressed with his knowledge of health and fitness. I am going to put together the daily diet and exercise regimen I will be following based on his advice and share it with you all in the next week and you can let me know what you think or try it along with me. I encourage anyone looking to learn more about getting in shape to visit his sites at http://www.christopherwarden.com/ and http://www.christopherwarden.typepad.com/.

Christopher was kind enought to add the following tips today through comments-

"An important thing to remember is that your body always functions as "a whole" -- never in isolated segments. Focus on training MOVEMENTS, not muscles. . . and not just "problem areas." If your training plan is put together well, if you train with enough intensity, and if you take control of what you put in your mouth, you can see amazing results. . . with the "problem areas" taking care of themselves.The movements that are important to train?

***

1. Horizontal Push (Pushups)

2. Horizontal Pull (Rows)

3. Vertical Push (Overhead Press)

4. Vertical Pull (Pullups/Lat Pulldowns)

5. Quadricep Dominant Movements (Squats, Split Squats, Lunges)

6. Hip Dominant Movements (Deadlifts, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts)

7. Rotational Patterns

*** These are the movements that we all perform as humans, and we want to be able to perform them all proficiently. Specifics of your training program are determined after screening your health history and movement capabilities. Okay, he really knows what he is talking about so we had all better visit his site regularly to get in shape the healthy way."

Now, I thought that I would include some fun tips from celebrities on how they get ready for bikini season.

How The Stars get Bikini Ready (from Life and Style Magazine)

Drew practices Pilates! Forget dieting! Drew Barrymore prefers to burn calories with a workout that includes Pilates, one of the most popular pastimes in Brazil. For a complete cardio session, fitness pro Joseph details a combo of core Pilates moves and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art that includes cartwheels, kicks and flips) in her book.

Cam eats early in the day! An always active Cameron Diaz gets going with a protein-packed breakfast of eggs and meat. "The beginning and middle of the day are when you need a big burst of energy," says Joseph. "In Brazil, evening meals are smaller and lighter." That leaves plenty of room for desert!

Denise's smart snack! "I need foods that energize me," says Denise Richards, who revs up on the Amazon-grown acai berry (now available in stores like Whole Foods Market. Says Joseph, "An Acai smoothie provides enough fiber and protein to last until lunch."Kristen never feels hungry!

"I stopped dieting because it made me binge," Kristen Cavallari tells Life & Style. The reality show alum solved her dieting dilemma by opting for smaller, more frequent meals (she snacks on almonds) to curb her cravings. Explains Joseph, "Meals and snacks spaced throughout the day help keep blood sugar up.

"Gisele fills up on fruit! Brazilian-born Gisele Bundchen can thank her homeland for her supermodel bod. The Victoria's secret stunner says her fav foods are tropical fruits from her country - which she considers to be the "best place to live".

If you have any great tips please feel free to share them. Thanks for stopping by.

Heidi