Want to keep your bikini body intact but don't want to spend the summer sipping light beer? You need to try these amazingly creative (and delicious) options

Remember when bikinis were the last thing on our minds? It seems like just yesterday we were bundling up in wooly scarves and drinking hot chocolate like there was no tomorrow. Newsflash: It is tomorrow. The temperatures are rising, the summer getaways are booked ... wake up and smell the sunscreen because bikini season is here. And despite the midnight snacking and vending machine trips, your weekend uniform for the next three months or so is about to be a two-piece. But don't panic -- and step away from the crash diet please.

Find Your Playlist

I am one of those people who just can't work out without music. If my iPod dies during my run, I slow to a halt, as if my batteries have died.

Ahh, the summer life. It's such a paradox. On the one hand, you're happy as a clam wearing your new sunglasses, floating around in airy fabrics, debuting your fresh highlights, and showing off your cute pedicure. On the other hand...it's bikini season.

Impromptu beach day! That means you're scrambling to grab your bikini and chick lit for some sunning and guilty pleasure reading. But chances are you've been using the same tattered straw tote bag (you know, the one with the broken bamboo handle?) and that same bottle of SPF from, like, six years ago.