One Month to Postpartum Bikini Body?

In precisely one month, I will be headed to the desert for a weekend with my nearest and dearest girlfriends from college. Swimsuits will be involved, and the last time I wore one of those I was nearly seven months pregnant. {Shudder.} Everything has been, ahem, coming back together quite nicely so far, but this trip is the perfect motivation to just get there already. My secret weapons?

• Juice Shop. I recently discovered these terrific cold-pressed juices and have fast become a convert. Diet Coke now tastes…gross. Who am I? Eating whole vegetables and fruit is probably still best, but who has the time to consume three stalks of kale, two apples, half a pineapple and an entire cucumber in a single sitting?

• Pilates at The Pad Studio. After years of power yoga, I became a pilates convert during my last pregnancy. It may not be trendy or burn zillions of calories in a single session, but the precise, thoughtful movement totally speaks to my inner ballerina.

• KIND Bars. Have I mentioned that I’m short on time? These are quick, whole (just a handful of ingredients unlike granola bars full of processed junk) and easy to stash in a diaper bag. My absolute favorite is the almond & coconut flavor.

• Nike Free 5.0+. Power-walking a strollerful of kids is my cardio of choice (necessity?) these days, and these cantaloupe-hued Nike kicks put a smile on my face while I’m doing it.

• Marysia Scalloped Bikini. The prospect of fitting into something as superbly pretty as this scalloped bikini is excellent motivation.

• My son. Housing him for nine-ish months and then nursing him for another six (and counting) was a physical accomplishment that I need to remind myself to honor. Everything might not be quite as it once was, but my sweet boy was oh-so-very worth it.