‘Your body is miraculous – enjoy it!’ 10 ways to be much more body-confident

Forget your inhibitions this summer. Instead, wear colourful clothes, get enough rest and celebrate every personal best

Unless your body is morgue-ready – in which case, please remain in situ – then your living, breathing human self is beach-ready just the way it is. If you have a pulse, you already have a bikini body. Or indeed a mankini body. We all know this in theory. Yet these sensible thoughts are easily spouted but not so easily, um, embodied. Many of us find it relatively straightforward to be kind (and relatively less judgmental) towards other people. Because all you have to do is remember not to be a cruel git. But when it comes to our view of ourselves, we can be over harsh and critical, submitting ourselves to a level of scrutiny that we wouldn’t dream of applying to others.

But the 1980s idea that we must all prepare ourselves for the Great Unveiling of the Socially Acceptable Flesh and improve our aesthetic qualities before we venture near a beach or swimming pool … Well, that has kind of had its day. How often do we have the chance to get the sun on the bits of us that rarely make contact with the outside world? Why would you squander that chance? Here’s how to feel confident with your body this summer and all year round.