For some people, spring break is not just a vacation, it’s a deadline for achieving a swimsuit-ready body–which can trigger anxiety. Dr. Heather Gallivan from Melrose Center says there’s a very large percentage, “in fact more than 80% of women in the United States don’t even like their body to begin with, so then when you add the pressures of looking good in a bathing suit it kind of compounds that.” And she says it’s normal–especially for those of us in the north, as we think about being covered all winter long, then going “down south” and shedding our clothes, there’s going to be some anxiety. Dr. Gallivan says it’s good to remember that “healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.”
Dr. Gallivan advises the best approach to weight loss is to find a balanced way of eating and exercising that you can realistically achieve every day. And she cautions people to be wary of Web sites and social media offering expensive ways to lose winter weight quickly. She’s says there’s really no evidence to support that these types of offers actually work.
Here’s MNN’s Scott Peterson’s full interview with Dr. Gallivan: