10 Tips To Get Bikini Body Ready As Fast As Possible
The thought of bikinis can fill even the most confident women with dread, but don’t despair. If your beach holiday is just weeks or even days away, these tips will help you get bikini body ready fast and help you find the confidence to relax in the sun. I’m not suggesting a starvation diet or excessive workouts to drop 10 pounds; just simple ideas to work with your body and feel happy and confident in your own skin.
This post contains affiliate links. This means I receive a commission if you make a purchase through my links, but this is no additional cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more information.
How To Get Bikini Body Ready
1. Get The Best Bikini For Your Body Type
I love that the Prana Swimwear range understands that not all women are comfortable wearing skimpy bikinis. Instead, you can mix and match based on your body type. If you’re not comfortable showing off your abs, pair a halter-neck top with swim shorts. You can choose just how much of your body you’re ready to reveal and find a bikini that flatters your best parts. It’s a good idea to try on several different styles to find the outfit that makes you feel confident.
2. Ditch The Processed Foods
Changing your diet is the quickest way to make an impact on your body. Processed foods are not only bad for your health but are full of salt, the number 1 enemy of bloating. Eliminating foods such as microwave meals, deli meats, burgers, and frozen pizzas from your diet will quickly have a big impact on your waistline. These foods are addictive, high in calories, and full of unhealthy amounts of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat.
3. Fill Up With Protein
Very few women are eating enough protein. Dr. Stacy Sims recommends that active women aim for 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. That’s almost twice the current recommended daily allowance. Distribute this protein intake throughout the day, and make sure you eat some protein every 3 to 4 hours. The high protein intake will support satiety, weight loss, and body composition, helping you maintain your muscle mass while shifting weight from unwanted areas.
4. Cut Back On Carbs
I’m not a fan of Keto diets, where you drastically reduce your carb intake and force your body into a fat-burning metabolic state called ketosis. It’s incredibly hard to maintain, and for most people, the diet ends in failure and weight gain. Active people need carbs! That said, reducing your carb intake will help get your body bikini-ready. Aim to eat meals with 30% of your calories from protein, 30% from fats (with an emphasis on healthy plant-based fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil), and just 40% from carbohydrates. Your carb intake should focus on nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. If you’re a runner, walker, cyclist, or similar endurance athlete, you will need extra carbs to fuel your training sessions, just don’t go overboard with those big pasta meals.
5. Limit Your Sugar Intake
All sugar, both refined and natural substitutes such as maple syrup, honey, dates, and coconut sugar, will spike your blood sugar levels. Too much is linked to health problems such as diabetes and obesity. You’ll find sugar not just in the obvious foodstuffs such as cakes and cookies, but hidden in store-bought goods such as sauces, bread, yogurt, and even peanut butter. Most of us eat far too much. If you want to get bikini-ready quickly, cut back on the sweet stuff.
6. Get Moving
Start an exercise habit. It’s essential for health and will do wonders for your body. Your diet may be the biggest contributor to your overall weight, but exercise will help you keep the weight off. Find something you enjoy doing – walking around your local park for 30 minutes may soon become your favorite time of the day. If you’re normally time-poor or easily distracted, exercise first thing in the morning. Just make sure you have a small protein-and-carb snack first, rather than exercising fasted. Fasted exercise sounds great in theory, but for women, you’re at risk of compromising your metabolism by triggering the release of cortisol.
7. Start Strength Training
If you want a defined, toned body, strength training is the way to go. You don’t need to lift heavy weights in the gym; you can build muscle strength with bodyweight exercises and lighter weights, such as dumbbells, at home. This site is full of tips and advice for strength training. Try to fit 10-15-minute strength-training workouts into your schedule at least 3 times a week.
8. Aim For 8 Hours Sleep A Day
Skimp on sleep and you’ll not only find it difficult to concentrate during the day, but your resistance to bad habits will also be compromised. Inadequate sleep leads to overeating, food cravings, and higher cortisol levels, which negatively affect your metabolism and upset your sleep patterns. Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll not only feel better, but you’ll make healthier life choices.
9. Ditch The Alcohol
I don’t want to spoil your fun, but alcohol is best avoided when your aim is a bikini-ready body. Alcohol dehydrates and leaves you looking bloated. Plus, how often have all your good intentions rapidly vanished after a night out drinking?
10. Become Body Confident
Looking good in a bikini is as much about body confidence as it is about who has the skinniest waistline or the best-toned abs. Stand tall with good posture, and there will be an instant improvement in how you look. Practice walking around the house in your bikini before you hit the beach, and learn to love your body rather than be self-critical. It may help to stay off social media for a while. It doesn’t help your body image to be constantly comparing yourself to others, often fake people. Instead, seek out real people who make you feel better about yourself.
