June, July, and August stretch before us, my friends, and with the warm weather that’s arriving… Well honestly, the idea of wearing fewer layers strikes fear in my heart. I know I can't be the only one.

Summers get hot and humid here in Michigan, and I get too sweaty to continue wearing my usual jeans and long sleeves. I'm notorious for wearing things oversized, no matter the clothing item — even socks and shoes, sometimes! I love pulling on a pair of leggings and thick socks, stuffing my feet into my leather thigh-high boots, grabbing a chunky-knit sweater, and heading out the door. But when we hit 75 degrees or higher, my bulky clothes become not only out-of-season, but ultimately impractical. Like it or not, every summer I’m faced with the obstacle of having to change course. I typically start by going into my closet and swapping out my winter wardrobe for those breezier, lighter summertime pieces that I’ve kept in storage all year. Those of us with smaller closets know all about the seasonal wardrobe shuffle! 

As I reflect on reaching this time of year yet again, I'm blessed to say I’m more physically fit than I have been in years — which I credit to being diligent about paying attention, and truly first and foremost, working hard at removing the toxic stress that has plagued me for, oh gosh, let's be honest… I'd say the last 11 or 12 years.

I'm happy to be writing this blog from the standpoint of being proud of myself. I’m delighted that I am healthier than I have been in quite some time, but even so, those lingering emotions about how I have felt about my body are most definitely still there. I empathize with the old me and with many of you who can identify with her. 

Ah, the tried and true lessons that I have learned.

Here's my biggest tip: forget the string bikini.

Ultimately, if you're not 100% comfortable do not force yourself to wear something or do something. Get the good ol’ full SPF, full sleeves bathing suit, if that is what is calling your name. (Rip Curl has a great one!) Don't give into that pressure. Don't allow your eyes to roam the beach or the neighborhood pool and compare yourself to your sunbathing companions.

Oftentimes our gaze drifts over to the beautiful friend who is the super fitness woman, or the sweet mother that we volunteer with at school, or a sibling who is the genetically blessed one that can wear whatever she wants. The internal judgment we aim at ourselves rises to the surface oh so easily. For those of us who have fallen off of the fitness wagon because of other priorities — such as keeping a roof over our heads, and keeping our businesses open, and learning how to deal with incredibly difficult personal and professional lives — we find ourselves feeling a bit lost along the way, or even worse, feeling left behind. 

If you’re blessed like I am to have women in your circle who find joy and acceptance within their bodies, no matter what season of fitness they are in, their presence can be so uplifting. I love those women and I find them incredibly encouraging. A lot of my besties, who have those gorgeous curves, feel that they are living within their ideal, most beautiful body. I'm proud of them. I celebrate them. 

For some of us, there’s an intuition that whispers to us when we know we could be healthier. I have heard those whispers before, and felt it was my body speaking to me with its authentic voice, telling me whether I’m in a good place physically or not. At my heaviest weight I knew my body was not meant to be that size. I knew it and I felt it. 

It’s important to distinguish between our own individual intuitions about our health, and self-deprecation.

It's too easy to harshly judge ourselves, whether by comparing ourselves to others or to whatever standard is most fashionable at the time. That’s self-deprecation.

And yet, we know when we aren't being truthful with ourselves, which puts us in a place of shame and hiding. We know we could be more healthy, physically, but for whatever reason we just aren’t there yet. That’s your intuition.

It's also easy to find fault in this conversation and in this space of body wellness, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth discussing. 

I wrestled with my own intuition about my physical health for years. It was always on my to-do list. I’m so happy to be on the other side of that, and to now be operating from a place feeling like I’m “on track,” but it wasn’t easy to get here. It took a lot of self awareness. It took a lot of repetition. It took a lot of first days and being willing to start that first day over and over and over again. (Some of you that have been on this journey of reading my blogs have heard me say this before: start day one as often as needed.)

Wherever you’re at, whether you’re on day 0, day 1, or day 301: forget the string bikini. Wear what is comfortable for you, and if that is a Rip Curl full-body suit with a mock turtleneck at the beach, you roll with it, girl, and you wear it proudly. 

The first time I went to Australia, which is a number of years ago now, that is what I wore to the beach. Not only did I wear the Rip Curl bathing suit, I also pulled a romper up over it, and I topped it off with a giant sun hat.

My skin was fully protected, you betcha. I just went with it. I did not miss that family outing. I went to the beach, I stayed fully covered up, and there were no sunburns for Quinn that year.

Looking back, I'm not ashamed.

I don’t judge myself, not for the fact that I was quite a bit heavier, or that I was fully covered up. I don't have any regrets, and I'm really proud of myself for that. There were some incredibly trying times in my business and in my personal life, and I really don't knock myself for having gained a bunch of weight while I dealt with life. Going to a beach in Australia, while being double, triple and quadruple covered up… At that moment, I was at the beach, and I was comfortable. Yes, I was kind of protecting myself from having to have my squishy legs and my big rolly belly being paraded up and down the beach, but at the same time, I love her. My body. I really love her and I'm really proud of her. 

I hope that as you read this blog and as we go through this month together while exploring these conversations, with me imparting all of the wisdom that I can, that you can come to say that you’re proud of yourself, too. 

If your story already seems similar to mine, let's do this together. Let's explore this topic together. Let's cheer one another on. Let's high five each other when we achieve milestones or reach particular goals, but let's also love each other no matter which season of wellness that we are in. When we are less judgmental of ourselves it's in direct correlation to how we also judge others. 

I would love your comments or your feedback on this subject. If you have wisdom of your own that you’d like to share with me privately, or to share with our community here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

Over this month of June I am going to give you all of my tips, tricks, and things I've learned when it comes to wellness, fitness, and exercise. I’ll be shouting-out my go-to people who have helped me on my journey, whether you go to them, too, or learning about them helps you find someone who’s the perfect fit for you as you aim for that next level. I’m also testing a couple of at home tools, which I’m excited to report back on — including a Whoop wristband (which measures all the health data that you could possibly think of) and my Oura Ring (a finger ring alternative, rather than a band.) On top of those insights, I’ll have bathing suit options, summer inspo, and of course, my own learned wisdom, hard-earned through both my wins and my losses.

Please be committed to sweetness and loving you first, and know the better that we can love ourselves, the better that we can love those who mean so, so much to us. (First and foremost our children and our partners in this life.) Love yourself well, friends. I'm already proud of you.

Cheering you on. 

Love,

🤍 Quinn