Dress to make better best!

With the warmer weather on its way, the gyms are suddenly full of women attempting to get rid of the winter bulge and get their bodies ready for summer in the hope that they can fit into last season's white trousers.

Although I am an advocate for exercise and an all round healthy lifestyle, I find myself wondering if it's our mindset that often needs to change when it comes to feeling better about our bodies.

What do you LIKE about your body?
If I were to ask you to stand in front of a full length mirror and name three things that you LIKE about your body shape, would you be able to list them? In my experience, this is a very difficult exercise for women. Why is that? Why is it so hard to focus our attention on the parts we like about our bodies?

When standing in front of the mirror, usually a woman's first answer is, "I don’t like my bum" Women primarily focus on the parts of their bodies they dislike and desperately try to cover them up with clothing, giving very little thought to the parts that are really beautiful.

The reality is that the more we try to "cover up" the parts we dislike, the worse they look. Now I'm not saying you have to start wearing skin tight pants on a bum that you have been trying to hide, but a well fitted pair of trousers would go a long way to making that not-so-tight bum look streamlined.

So how do we start to change our focus? The mirror test is a good first step. If it’s really hard for you, start with one thing you like and go from there. Once you start to notice the things you like, you can start to dress to emphasise those things, then learn to de-emphasise the things you aren't crazy about.

Top fashion tips!
This may be easier than you think. Here are some tips to inspire you and get you started: