From learning healthy workouts and diets to finding the right cosmetic procedures, there are plenty of ways to look and feel your best during the warmer seasons. While everyone has their own way of achieving a perfect beach body, here’s a helpful guide, complete with advice from top doctors and fitness coordinators, on how you can feel confident in your swimwear.
Workout & Diet Tips for Beating the Bloat
Establishing a wellness lifestyle by joining a gym or working with a nutritionist is a great way to feel confident during swimsuit season. “At VIDA Fitness, we think every body is beach ready,” says Allison Rand, VP of Marketing at VIDA Fitness. “However, there are some simple workouts and diet hacks to beat the bloat and feel your best in a bathing suit,” she adds. Here’s what VIDA’s team suggests are the best workouts to do (and foods to eat!) in order to get in shape for the summer.
1. Take Cleansing Yoga Sessions
VIDA’s Fitness Director, Colleen Palomaa suggests that the best way to “beat the bloat” is by taking cleansing yoga sessions. “Not only will stimulating that mind/body connection help you tune into your body’s true hunger signals, but it’ll also help you move better and unwind,” explains Palomaa. She adds that lifting weights can bring fluid into muscles that are important for the recovery process (ever heard of someone seeking that post-lift ‘PUMP?’), but it’s not always the way you want to feel before a beach day. “Incorporating twisting poses into your practice will stimulate the core, release stress, and let you face the day feeling restored, confident, and bloat-free,” says Palomaa.
2. Cut Fiber Intake, But Still Eat a High-Produce Diet
As for what foods you should eat, VIDA’s Director of Nutrition, Addie Claire Merletti, MS, RD, CSCS, says one of the biggest misconceptions of preparing for a day in a bathing suit is that you need to load up on raw vegetables and lean protein. “After all, those are some of the healthiest foods,” explains Merletti. However, she adds that if your body is not used to digesting large doses of insoluble fiber, it can actually cause bloating.“This is not to say you shouldn’t eat veggies though,”says Merletti. Instead of eating a salad topped with raw broccoli, kidney beans, onions, and chickpeas, Merletti suggests trying one with pickled onions, blanched green beans, and lentils.“By pickling the onions and slightly cooking the green beans, you’re starting the digestion process outside of your body which can prevent bloating while still enjoying all the benefits of a high-produce diet,” says Merletti.
Advice on Maintaining a Healthy Diet During & After Swimsuit Season
It can be tough sticking to a healthy diet—especially when you want to enjoy all of summer’s sweet treats, like icy daiquiris or cool ice cream. But, don’t fret! For those who need guidance to help themselves eat right during (and after!) swimsuit season, Molly Zemek of Weight Loss for Food-Lovers can help. She says coaching is different from traditional diets in that “it’s not a short term fix for weight loss, but rather a permanent solution to end overeating and permanently maintaining your ideal size.” Here are her three golden rules of success when it comes to creating and maintaining a realistic food plan to look and feel confident at the beach.
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1. Eat When You’re Hungry
“Eat only when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re satisfied,” says Zemek. “Often we eat for entertainment, out of stress, or simply because food tastes good rather than paying attention to our physical cues for what the body actually needs.”
2. Stay Hydrated & Well-Rested
“Adequate water and sleep are two of the biggest factors in successful weight loss,” explains Zemek. “If you’re dehydrated your body will send false hunger signals to eat and will have a harder time flushing out fat.”As for sleep, Zemek says “it’s the magic window of time when our bodies not only heal, but also burn fat.”
3. Help Your Body Become Fat Adapted
“When you minimize or eliminate sugar and flour from your diet, and eat primarily protein, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, you lower insulin levels and facilitate fat burning,” explains Zemek. This means your hunger hormones will normalize, which makes your fat stores start to diminish.
Bikini Grooming & Stretch Mark Advice for Looking Flawless in Your Swimwear
Once the summer heat kicks in, people will want to show off various parts of their body that may have been covered up and ungroomed in the cooler months, such as the bikini line, back, underarms, and legs. These delicate areas are prone to pesky, unwanted hair, and/or stretch marks, which can be difficult to remove just by shaving or applying lotion. Thankfully, Dr. Navin Singh of Washingtonian Plastic Surgery offers clients an alternative to razor burn and stretch marks. “To put a finishing touch on that polished beach body, we find that our medi-spa services are crucial and an integral part of our surgical packages,” explains Dr. Singh. Here are his top services for clients to use to get a polished beach body.
Laser Hair Removal
“Ditch the razor for laser,” says Dr. Singh. Laser hair removal is the best treatment to get your bikini line and other areas of your body ready for exposure. The lasers are gentle enough to not break the skin while they target the hair follicle—leaving patients with smooth, soft, and hair-free skin. It’s the best solution for removing unwanted hair.
Ultherapy
“Those who have stretch marks around their belly button or along their chest can benefit from micro-focused energy skin tightening with Ultherapy,” says Dr. Singh. Ultherapy jumpstarts the repair process of existing collagen, while also producing new collagen, to give skin a firm and fresh look.“The treatment is effective in building collagen to those areas and results can last up to two years.”
The Top Non-Surgical & Minimally Invasive Treatments to Sculpt Your Body
Looking for something more than workouts and dieting tips to get you shaped up and swimsuit ready? Here are the best non-surgical and minimally invasive techniques recommended by Drs. Burton and Reps Sundin, co-founders of the Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery and MBody: Modern Body Contouring and Laser Center:
CoolSculpting®
For those looking for noninvasive cosmetic body contouring, Dr. Burton Sundin says CoolSculpting® is the most proven and consistent treatment for giving your body a glow up just in time for swimsuit season. CoolSculpting® is a fat-freezing procedure that can target any trouble areas with extra fat, such as abdomen, flanks (love handles), inner and outer thighs, arms, and back. The procedure reduces the fatty layer on average by 25% per treatment. It can be used all over the body, which makes it a great procedure for bikini season. Dr. Burton Sundin says “results are gradual with CoolSculpting®, but people love it because it’s easy to do and requires little to no downtime. You can watch Netflix and lose fat. It’s like eating ice cream but in reverse!”
Over 2 million people worldwide have been treated with CoolSculpting®. “CoolSculpting® has proven itself to be a safe and effective cosmetic procedure.” says Dr. Burton Sundin. Drs. Burton and Reps Sundin are known for being CoolSculpting® specialists and experts in the DMV-area and Richmond with the following prestigious credentials:
- One of the first practices in Virginia to offer CoolSculpting®
- Ten years of CoolSculpting® experience
- Crystal Diamond Practice, 2017, Crystal Premier Practice 2018-2020
- CoolSculpting® Champions Advisory Panel, 2018
- CoolSculpting® Masters Trained, Certified Practice
- Completed over 10,000 treatments
Renuvion® J-Plasma & LITTLE Lipo®
If you’re looking for more of a tune-up, Dr. Burton Sundin says the next step up from CoolSculpting® is liposuction alone or combined with Renuvion® J-Plasma—the latest skin tightening technique. “While one of the best ways to slim down is liposuction, we are now combining this with advanced skin tightening, known as Renuvion® J-Plasma,” explains Dr. Reps Sundin. “People who were formerly not ideal candidates for liposuction can now achieve excellent results with Renuvion®.” This cutting-edge procedure uses tiny incisions to contour and sculpt the body with liposuction. The plasma energy beam of the Renuvion® device is then used to tighten the connections of the skin to the underlying muscle, giving a shrink-wrapping effect.
The doctors can even do small targeted areas in the comfort of their office without any general anesthesia and say it’s their signature technique. “We call it LITTLE Lipo® and have trademarked that term,” explains Dr. Burton Sundin. This type of targeted liposuction is great for a quick tune-up before summer—giving patients a body they’ll want to flaunt. LITTLE Lipo® has low downtime, but effectively deals with specific problem areas, such as lower abdomen, flanks, inner thighs, back, and arms. “You can get a LITTLE Lipo®, but if you need more, we specialize in that too,” says Dr. Burton Sundin.
The Best Cosmetic Procedures for Getting a Beach Body
The right plastic surgery, combined with a healthy diet and exercise routine, can also enhance your beach body with long-lasting results. So, for those wanting an extra push to boost their confidence, board certified plastic surgeons Dr. George Bitar & Dr. Larry Lickstein of Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute offer all kinds of cosmetic options to give patients their ideal beach body. “On the surgical side, our doctors perform liposuction, tummy tucks, breast lifts and augmentations, Mommy Makeovers (and Daddy-Do-Overs!), as well as body contouring after significant weight loss,” says Dr. Bitar. “We are the very few practices in the area who can offer all those treatments under one roof.” Here’s what these top plastic surgeries entail.
Breast Augmentations, Lifts, and Reductions
Breast augmentation is the most popular surgical procedure for those wanting to sport a bikini or chest-revealing swimsuit over the summer. The procedure uses either silicone or saline implants to enhance the volume and cup sizes of a patient. In a similar fashion, a breast lift removes excess skin to reshape and add support to a patient’s breasts. As for a reduction, excess skin and tissue is removed to achieve a breast size that is proportionate to the body.
Tummy Tucks
Dr. Lickstein suggests a tummy tuck for patients wanting to strut a flat and firmer stomach for summer. This type of cosmetic surgery is great for patients who want to address loose skin from recent weight loss or pregnancy as well as stubborn fat. The procedure removes excess skin and fat while also restoring weakened muscles. This gives patients smoother and firmer abs to flaunt in the warmer months—also known as swimsuit season!
Liposuction
Liposuction would be the procedure of choice for patients who aren’t concerned with loose skin or muscles and are only concerned about excess fat. Dr. Bitar says that liposuction can be used to either debulk and remove fat that patients don’t want on their stomach, arms, love handles, and legs. It also can be used to add definition, such as six pack abs, to the muscle, chest, and lower back. For those hoping to enhance their backside, Dr. Bitar suggests a Brazillian butt lift with liposuction will give patients the most natural looking results. “We use liposuction to take fat from other areas of the body and then inject the fat back into the buttocks for a more rounded, full look.”
Mommy Makeovers & Daddy-Do-Overs
“Parents who want to show off a more youthful body at the beach come to see us for Mommy Makeovers and even Daddy-Do-Overs,” Dr. Bitar explains. While every patient is different, these cosmetic surgeries are usually more involved because they include multiple procedures, such as the trifecta above—liposuction, tummy tuck, and breast lift and/or augmentation.
Sculptra Injections
Patients who do not desire to undergo a full Brazillian butt lift, but still want to add volume to their backside should try Sculptra injections. “These injectable fillers use poly-L lactic acid to stimulate the production of collagen, which will give patients a plumper butt,” says Dr. Bitar. He also adds that these injections are commonly used to treat wrinkles, but are also an effective treatment to add volume in the buttocks with no surgery or downtime.
A Recovery Timeline for Surgery
If you do want to go the cosmetic route to get beach body ready, but are wondering how much time you should allot for recovery and results, Dr. Troy Pittman of Somenek + Pittman MD – AdvancedPlastic Surgery has a timeline to follow. “Getting beach body ready will be a different journey for everyone,” says Dr. Pittman. So, for those who’re taking the plastic surgery realm, here’s a general timeframe for when to undergo procedures.
Tummy Tuck
6 Weeks
“For patients that are a bit more adventurous and ready to go ‘all in,’ tummy tucks are the ultimate procedure for preparing for bikini season,” says Dr. Pittman. But, don’t worry! The incision for the operation is generally low enough that it hides beneath a standard bikini. “This operation carries with it about a four to six week recovery, but the patient satisfaction rates are high,” says Dr. Pittman.
Breast and Pec Augmentations
4 Weeks
“My most popular surgical option for getting beach body ready is breast augmentation, revision breast augmentation, and even pec augmentation for guys,” says Dr. Pittman. “The downtime for these procedures is generally about two weeks and patients are healed after four.”
Liposuction
3 Weeks
It usually takes up to around three weeks to recover from liposuction. The procedure is done as a quick outpatient procedure and patients are generally bruised for about two weeks. They should also avoid heavy lifting for the same time period.
Non-surgical body sculpting
Less Than 1 Week
When it comes to non-surgical options, these types of procedures are non-invasive with absolutely no downtime. “Patients can walk out of the office and drive themselves home or even back to the office,” says Dr. Pittman. His practice offers two popular treatments, known as TruSculptID and TruSculptFLEX. “Imagine doing 30,000 sit-ups or squats in 45-minutes!”
