Getting a Beach Body

April 19, 2009

By Dan Good

January's gone.

February, too.

March? Marched right out the door.

April's dripping away, with May - and another beach season - charging right behind it.

Oh jeez... Time to pull the bathing suit out of hiding and confirm what the mirror's been showing all these months - it's time to get in shape, and fast. After a cold, lazy winter, the suit doesn't fit like it used to.

While many resolutioners flock to the gym in January, local gyms are actually busier now, in the lead-up to summer. People are tightening and toning their beach bodies, crunching six months of training into six weeks, trying to avoid feeling foolish when they have to take their shirts off.

Why fight the battle of the bulge if you don't want to? Life is hectic, and Dunkin' Donuts' "six donuts for $3" promotion is enticing. There are ways to hide that expanding waistline that don't include hours of abdominal work or cramp-inducing jogs.

How about wearing a rash guard shirt to the beach? Sure, the shirts are often associated with surfing, but they can protect your skin - and give you a reprieve from showing off your belly.

Tammy McShane, manager of Separately Swimwear, recommends a tankini bathing suit for the ladies, because it shows off all the things you're proud of, without showing off the things you're not proud of.

"A lot of women enjoy a looser top with a skirted bottom," McShane said. "There's lots of ways to cover up the bumps and bulges, if that's what you want to do."

It's nice to have options that don't involve physical exertion. Not that working out is a bad thing - it's just ... well ... it takes up a lot of time, and it's not always a whole lot of fun.

Kevin Hamm, director of fitness and personal training for Premier Personal Trainers and Island Gym Fitness Center in Egg Harbor Township, concedes that there are steep sacrifices to staying fit. Eating Oreos from the bag or stuffing your face with 5 Guys french fries don't lend themselves well to a fitness regimen. Neither does that quarter-mile drive to the liquor store, just because it's too cold or you're too lazy to walk.

"Being in shape forces you to do things that take time and make you sore afterwards, and it involves a lifestyle change," Hamm said. "People often join the gym because they're not happy with themselves, but you hope that they keep with it because they enjoy working out, or because they like what it does for them."

Hamm says the gym was crowded on the year's first warm spring day, and that it's pretty much stayed that way.

Sherry Soltig started working out again a few weeks ago - due to Facebook, of all things. Soltig recently joined the social networking site and re-connected with dance company teammates from her younger days. The group's meeting up this summer, so she started working out four times a week in preparation. Beach season's important, too.

"This is sort of a mid-life crisis for me," she said. "I decided it's time to start working out again, and to get serious about staying in shape."

Soltig participated in Zumba class on a recent Thursday, sweating and gyrating to instructor Jessica DePietro's lead. Three quarters through the class, Soltig's side salsas and double touches became less inspired. All the movement and sweat had taken its toll. Soltig was tired, but a step - well, a few steps - closer to her goal.

If fitness were a religion, Rachel Phillips would be a convent postulant - up-and-coming and testing to see if this life is for her. The 18-year-old Egg Harbor Township native works out in Penn State sweatpants rolled up at the legs and over at the waist, glistening with sweat but appearing like she could do this all day. For Phillips, the reflection in the glass keeps her coming to the gym.

"I'll look in the mirror and see a little bit of cellulite on my leg, and it makes me want to work out," she said.

Jonathan Alpert, a Manhatten-based psychotherapist and advice columnist, says low self-esteem is our biggest motivation to work out. About 20 of his clients battle weight-related issues, and he says it's important to tap into the positive and negative aspects of self-image.

"Being perceived as fat, ugly and out of shape are all social pressures that force us to want to change," Alpert said. "We're motivated to change by seeing something positive, like being able to fit into a dress."

Alpert says workout goals need to be specific and realistic, such as losing 10 pounds by June 1, not blanket statements such as "I want to get into shape" or over-reaching aspirations such as losing 50 pounds by summer.

He also says our society is too image-driven.

"Media and Hollywood have perpetuated body image standards that many people will never be able to reach," Alpert said. "It's important to feel comfortable with yourself."

So break out the rash guard or tankini ... or better yet, see if you can still fit into last year's bathing suit. If not, buy a new one, and get ready for surf and sun. Four sluggish months are nearly gone from 2009, and beach season doesn't mind if you have love handles.