Depending on where you live, summer may be right around the corner, or it might already be here. And you know what that means ... bathing suit season! If the thought of being out in public in a bikini makes you cringe, don't worry -- you have time to join America Takes It Off and get your body where you want it to be, and if, by some slight chance, your body doesn't end up looking quite the way you planned before your next trip to the beach, you have wardrobe options (check out the gallery if you don't believe me).

First of all, let's take a minute to talk about your body. I'm hoping that you love every inch of it, but if there are some things you'd like to change, I'm right there with you. Perhaps you're not too confident about your mid-section, or there's a little more junk in your trunk than you'd like. Or, maybe you're really thin and wish you had more curves. What we all need to do is realize what parts of our bodies we like best and figure out how to play up those assets when we put on our bathing suits.

Contrary to popular belief, one exercise regime doesn't fit all. Each of our bodies are very different-- we put on weight differently, and the way we go about losing it should be different too. Other experts have capitalized on this idea -- the people behind Eat Right 4 Your Type, for example, recommend tailoring your diet to your blood type.

But when it comes to fitness, your uniqueness is not measured on your blood type; rather, it's measured by your body type. There are three different body types that you might have heard of: Ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. Not sure which one you are? Here's a breakdown:

Source

Competition is good, but you should play sports because you love them and not just to win. But if you both love a sport and really want to win, is hard work all you need? No, depending on your genes and your sport of choice you may be at a major disadvantage.

It all comes down to body size, and whether or not yours lines up with what you're asking your body to do. Swimming? You want to be bigger. Running? You want to be smaller. And it's not just about weight, either, your height plays a big part -- and all dieting aside there's no way to change how tall you are and your basic physical traits.

Source

Do you ever feel like the harder you work to change your body the harder it fights to stay the same? Well you may not be that far off the mark -- it probably is fighting you, depending on exactly what it is you're trying to change. Scientists in Israel have discovered that a person's lean body mass is mostly influenced by genetic factors, and we all know you can't fight genetics (well you can fight, but you won't win).

So what does this mean? Well the specifics of this information still need to be uncovered, but for now I'm just taking it as one more argument for focusing on overall health and wellbeing on an individual basis, and not comparing ourselves to others.

Source

Turns out most of us don't identify with the super-skinny actresses and models that grace the glossy pages. Gardenburger surveyed 500 women; the results include:

What is the best way to get ready for swimsuit season?
2% only plan on drinking water from now on to get ready
6% feel they are ready to wear their bikini now
9% plan on moving to Antarctica
22% have no idea how to get ready for swimsuit season
61% say the best way to get ready is by eating healthier foods

If you fall into the 2% who are swearing off food, the 9% that prefer winter's chill, or the 22% that just don't know what to do, read Lauren's post Get fit in time for summer... without going overboard.

Source