5 Reasons To Wear A Swimsuit

We just returned back from a very short trip to the beach for a family reunion. We left late Thursday night, drove all night and then left to come back home early Sunday morning. It was great to see Scott's family and I was able to celebrate my 31st birthday (which was June 4th) on the beach. We haven't been to the beach in over three years. We've been to California beaches but not the beaches where we actually stay at the beach all day. I had forgotten how much I love it!

Anyway, it was a nice short break and I was able to do some thinking while I was there. Some of my best ideas come when I am disconnected while hiking or in this case, at the beach. I posted some on Snapchat (we're under hesheeatclean) but other than that I wasn't on my phone very often. Instead of playing on my phone, I tried to just take in what was around me and enjoy the company.

I absolutely loved it that there were people (men and women) of all shapes, sizes, colors, abilities, etc at the beach having a great time. As I mentioned in my body image post, I never really had major image issues when I was younger, at least that I can remember. If I was at the beach, I wore a swimsuit. It never crossed my mind to worry that my thighs were too big or anything of that sort. I also never really paid attention to others bodies as well. However, this time it was interesting. At the beach no one really stood out to me except for the people who were all covered up. I saw quite a few ladies in capris. Capris at the beach, in Florida, in June. Deep down I hope it was for a different reason other than the fact that they have image issues with their body. I really do. It just seems odd that the ones that tried to cover up the most are the ones that actually stood out the most. I'm not saying that you have to wear a skimpy bikini and struct around the beach but I just wish that they could have the confidence to at least wear something that they could enjoy the sun and the beach. It was hot out there in a swimsuit so I know that they had to be burning up. But it really got me thinking. I know that "bikini body" is a term that we've used before (although I try to avoid it now) and it is widely used to sell workouts, swimsuits, detoxes, etc from many different companies and bloggers but since when does a bikini body mean a size 0/2/4/6/8, whatever? Should anyone who doesn't have the "perfect" (whatever that means) bikini body not wear a swimsuit or a bikini? I'm pretty sure that everyone has a bikini body.

You have GOT to start LIVING your life instead of sitting on the sidelines. When you are 80 years old you will enjoy the memories made and will not remember if you "still needed to lose 10 or even 50 pounds". We definitely think that you should work towards becoming a healthier version of yourself if you do need to lose weight for health reasons but you can still embrace and enjoy your life today, in the process.

5 Reasons to Wear a Swimsuit

1. Because you can.

You have a body and the opportunity to be at the beach and/or pool. They make swimsuits in all shapes and sizes. Buy one that you are comfortable in and use it!

2. You could inspire others.

Maybe there is someone else where you are visiting that is feeling the same way as you. When they see you confidently wearing a swimsuit, even though you might not have that perfect "bikini body", they will think better of themselves. It's a movement, y'all. Keep inspiring.

3. No one cares.

Seriously, no one cares. And if they do that is their problem, not yours. When you are at the beach and/or pool you should be having such a great time that you aren't worried about who should or shouldn't be in a swimsuit. As with everything else we talk about, quit caring what other people think - this applies to fitness and finance - pretty much life in general.

4. You will be cooler (as in temperature).

This means you can spend more time outside with your friends and/or family, which is the whole point of going to the beach and/or pool.

5. Tomorrow you will be older. Wear a swimsuit while you are young. ;-)

No matter how young you are, next time you go to the beach and/or pool you will be older. That's just life. Remember when you thought you were fat in high school and you weren't? Same thing applies now. Whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 50 pounds to lose, you likely view yourself bigger than you actually are. Next year you will look back and say, I should have just worn the swimsuit. End that cycle now.

We've maintained this lifestyle for over 5 years and don't do anything much different to "get ready for summer" than we do the rest of the year. Yes, we tend to be more active in the summer just because of the weather but we don't spend hours doing cardio to get rid of "extra weight". It's not worth it! Develop a healthy relationship with diet and exercise and keep it year-round! Life is meant to be LIVED.

P.S. In case you didn't know, we have some amazing healthy recipes (check out our most popular here) and a few great workout plans! ;-)

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

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We've been there before. We've been tired, stressed, and frustrated. You just have to take the first step. Then keep taking steps. They add up. You can transform your life. We did. We lost over 30 pounds; Scott went from waist size of 38" to 32" and I went from a size 10 to a size 2/4 (I was a size 2 but am now a size 4 - you can read more about that here.).

When we were packing for our trip to Jackson Hole this year it really hit me...I have ski pants (one pair because I don't ski often!) that I've been able to pack for four years. I don't even try them on, I just pack them. They are pants I only wear once a year but they always fit. Always. I don't worry if they will fit or not. That is an amazing feeling. You can experience this feeling too! Stop yo-yo dieting and starting living a healthy lifestyle all year long!

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

1. We are consistent, not perfect.

We are always physically active even if our workouts are not always perfect. For example, some days I'll go in the gym to do an upper body workout from our She Sweats Workout Plan but I'll end up doing legs. Sometimes I don't even do anything that I had in mind. Sometimes the gym is just there for us to go to and keep up the habit. I don't always kill my workouts. I rarely ever walk out dripping in sweat. But we go - to keep the habit - to be consistent.

We also make time for food prep. Sometimes we make every single thing we need and have a huge spread of food covering our counter and sometimes we only make a few things just to get by for a few days. However, we never skip food prep - even if that means buying rotisserie chicken and making a big batch of sweet potatoes to go with it for a few meals. Honestly, we feel like making time to prep healthy food is more important than going to the gym. 

The habit of the habit is more important than the habit itself.

2. We have hobbies that keep us active.

Our workouts are not always in the gym. Any chance we get we climb mountains. Not only is hiking a good cardio workout but it's also a much needed mental break as we prefer places that have no cell service. We also have tennis rackets (notice I didn't say "play" but we do goof off with it...Scott calls it "Whitness" because I make up my own rules) and Scott skis and plays golf. Find something that you enjoy! Remember, health and fitness is not "one size fits all" - just because your best friend lost 20 pounds and loves to run doesn't mean that you will have the same success or enjoy it!

3. We think of this as a lifestyle and not a diet.

This isn't - and has never been - a diet for us. We live this way because it keeps us healthy and able to do all of the activities we enjoy. We don't train for competitions or photo shoots. We don't train for a half marathon and then quit everything. We just live this way to feel our best. There really is no other option.

4. We do not deprive ourselves.

If we want a piece of pizza or ice cream - we eat it. We don't eat it every day or even every week but we also don't really have many things that are "off limits". We do try to get the best version of whatever we are craving - bakery items made without high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, etc and we make a lot of our own treats (have you tried our cookie dough?!). We know our limits and we don't keep junk in the house, when we indulge it is outside of the house.

5. We do not follow and/or worship "fitness celebrities".

We live our own lives. We don't often scroll through social media to "be inspired" (this usually leads to comparison which isn't good for body image). Again, this is a habit for us so we just do it. It's fine to be inspired and motivated by others but you also have to find motivation within. This WILL take time for you to do and there will still be days that you don't want to do anything but that habit will keep you going. Work on building your good habits!

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5 Reasons Why You Aren't Achieving Your "Dream Body"

I hear it all the time: "I can't lose these last 5 pounds." "I do everything right and nothing changes!" "I've changed my workout routine and diet and still gain weight!"

The reasons why you can't achieve your "dream body" might be because of all of the factors listed below or just a few. Take time to really think about these and then think about your daily behaviors. I was going to try and list these out in order of importance to me but then I realized they are all just as important so they are in no particular order. ;-)

5 Reasons Why You Aren't Achieving Your "Dream Body"

1. You Are Focusing on a "Dream Body" Instead of Being Healthy or Performance Goals.

Like I mentioned in my body image post when I first started my fitness journey I didn't have any goals - I only wanted to be healthy. I know this might not work for some people but maybe if your goals haven't been working for you try shifting your focus to being healthy instead of losing XX pounds or running XX miles per week. Once your focus shifts to living an overall healthy lifestyle your body will change right along with it.

I'm not saying that it is bad to have goals in mind but honestly, Scott and I have been living this lifestyle for over 4 years now and we have never competed or trained for any races, etc. We might not be super lean but we are healthy AND consistent!

2. You Are Focusing on Losing WEIGHT Instead of Losing FAT.

You want the scale to go down, right? I know you do but sometimes the scale doesn't tell the whole story. Actually most of the time the scale doesn't tell the whole story. I even did an entire project on it where I weighed myself EVERY SINGLE DAY to show exactly how my body changed.

The ONLY thing that weighing yourself frequently does is create extra, unnecessary stress which causes you to hold onto more fat.

Stress is NOT your friend when you are trying to "lose weight". Instead of focusing on losing weight and the number on the scale, focus on FAT loss. Focus on the way that your clothes fit, your energy levels, your PHYSICAL abilities. Maybe you can run for 5 minutes straight now when a month ago you couldn't even run for 1 minute. Celebrate your small victories and throw away the scale.

The best and easiest way to do this is by incorporating weight training into your fitness routine! More cardio isn't the answer!

3. You Are Comparing Yourself to Others and/or Yourself.

You've heard me talk about "Fitspo" before if you've read my previous body image posts. It's what most people associate fitness with now. Fitness no longer seems to be about performance but more about six packs, magic detox teas, and obtaining the "perfect" body. If you've ever spent 5 minutes scrolling through any social media platform under the "health and fitness" category you know what I'm talking about. Selfies after selfies of body parts (most of them nearly nude), usually promoting some sort of supplement. I'm not saying that all selfies are bad (progress pics once a week or month are certainly okay) and not all supplements are bad either (I use supplements myself) BUT it's very easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to these fitness "models" or "experts" you see on social media. It's almost as if every "like" or "follow" is needed to boost self-esteem. Keep in mind that most of the time you see these people they have been preparing for a photo shoot or a competition, etc.

You can't compare your "every day" to someone's highlight reel.

On the flip side, you might be like the trap I was in where I was actually comparing myself to others AND to myself at a different point in my life. It was miserable. Posting and opening up about it has definitely helped me and I have realized that life is way too short to waste time on comparison.

4. You Are UNDER-Eating.

Yep, you read that right. You aren't eating ENOUGH. Almost all of the people that I coach and the people that I get emails from are NOT eating enough. It seems to be that when people start exercising they think they need to restrict their calories. However, when you aren't feeding your body properly it will hold onto fat. I repeat, if you are not feeding your body properly it will hold onto FAT! You must nourish your body in order for it to perform everyday tasks but then you also need to be eating for the exercising you are doing. I am most successful when I eat every 2-3 hours (5-6 meals per day) with protein and fiber at every meal.

5. You Are OVER-Exercising.

Do you have the mindset that taking days off is a bad thing? This is another popular one that I encounter. Rest days are VERY important. Rest days actually allow your body to recover and grow. You need to take at least 1-2 rest days per week. Also working out multiple times per day or staying in the gym for hours isn't healthy either. While this may provide temporary results you are looking for, overall it will slow your metabolism which can take you years to fix.

ALL of our workout plans have 1-3 rest days per week. We take the guesswork out of it for you!

Take time to really think about what your goals are and re-evaluate how you are going to reach them. Also, check out more posts on Body Image below.

• How Getting Into Fitness Ruined My Body Image
• Stories From My Scale (Why You Need to Ditch Yours For Good!)
• 5 Things I Did to Achieve My Dream Body
• 5 Things We've Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle 5+ Years