How to find your perfect summer dress

Simple? Sexy? Day-to-night? Let us help you nail that fabulous forever frock

Right, I'm here to tell you what the fashionable summer dress you need to buy this year looks like. I'm about to lay down the law on whether rose prints are more on trend than forget-me-nots, and explain whether a bell sleeve or a trumpet one will hoist you up the best-dressed lists. I'm going to map out those postcodes in which a cold shoulder is still de rigueur and those neighbourhoods in which you must switch to a kimono sleeve. And, after that, I'm going to explain how to break into your own house at the end of the night, if you are unable to take your keys out with you because they don't fit into your on-trend miniature circular basketweave clutch bag.

Or none of the above, actually. I'm here to help you find the perfect summer dress, which is absolutely not the same thing as the most fashionable one. The search for this dress transcends fashion for the simple reason that the perfect summer dress is an almost holy object. The days on which this piece will be worn are the most precious of the whole year, and that makes the dress itself a kind of talisman.

There is something nostalgic at the heart of how we think of summer. The summers of long ago stretch out and warm up as the photographs fade, becoming balmier and more lazy in memory than in reality. Nostalgia never goes out of style, so being on trend really isn't the be all and end all. And besides, many of the best bits of summer are not particularly fashion-forward. There is nothing cool about most weddings, but they are still almost always brilliant: the fact that the bridesmaids are in lurid mint green won't stop you welling up. There is nothing modish about following a pub garden dinner of beer and salt and vinegar crisps with a cup of tea and two rounds of toast and Marmite munched standing up in the kitchen when you get home, but it remains a stone-cold classic al fresco dining scenario.
Constellation print dress by Rexo

I am a fully paid-up devotee of erring on the side of overdressed rather than underdressed, but that doesn't mean you always have to be edgy. There is something a bit naff about trying to be cooler than the party you are going to. Much better to be the most fun guest at the wedding, the one still twirling baby bridesmaids around the dancefloor at midnight, than the one whose day peaked with the 11am mirror selfie of her outfit.

The most successful summer ball dresses I've bought recently have been lightweight but with sleeves and a long hemline. There's a dark Rixo one with a constellation print, below the knee, but with subtle, thigh-high splits in the skirt; and a Boden one in rose pink that has singlehandedly converted me to ankle length, because it makes me feel serene even when it's 27C on the bus. I feel carefree, rather than exposed. They are cool on a hot pavement, but I don't get goosebumps under air conditioning. I find they work best in a strong colour and/or print; the ethereal white-nightie vibe makes me feel a bit silly – though it looks charming on lots of other people, so each to their own.

Our edit of this summer's best dresses includes stripes and leopard print, polka dots and florals. There are Bardot and bateau necklines. Choose from short hemlines or long – or plump for dipped, if you can't make up your mind. These are not just frocks of the moment, but dresses you will return to next summer, and the one after that.

The biggest mistakes you can make in endurance training

You walk regularly, but nothing works on the scales? The kilos remain stubbornly where they do not belong?

Then tap the ears quickly: For those who train incorrectly sabotage their customer succession.

So that in the future, the pounds while jogging , walking , swimming or cycling just tumble, we tell you the biggest endurance training mistakes.

You always train the same? Fail! The body gets used to the constant load. The result: fat burning stagnates - and you will not get fitter either. Better: Build HIIT units in your training. In doing so, moderate and intensive training intervals alternate.

Endurance training does not pay for itself immediately. Results can usually only be seen after a few weeks or months. Therefore: Stay tuned and train regularly (!). That means not five times in one week and only once in the next.

Unfortunately, cardio training alone is not enough. After all, while endurance sports you burn calories, but build up no muscle, so does not come in top shape. In addition, cardio training supports the so-called "skinny fat" figure - thin but wobbly, so you should definitely include strength training in your fitness plan, as muscles burn fat even when at rest.

Anyone who sees cardio training as a stupid duty will have little success and soon give up. Therefore: Find an endurance sport that is really fun for you. Tip from fitness professional and bikini body guide inventor Kayla Itsines: If she does not feel like cardio, she watches a series on Netflix while she is on the treadmill. Top idea!

With this new diet, you can eat anything and still lose weight - does it really work?

The new diet is therefore particularly suitable for people who have problems to change their diet because they can not or do not want to give up certain foods. If fewer calories are consumed than consumed, it will inevitably lead to a loss of weight. But like many miracle drugs, the CICO diet also has disadvantages that need to be considered.

As effective as CICO is, you should still not suppress what is obvious: the health suffers. Because if you only make sure that you burn more calories than you eat, eventually the quality of the food will fade into the background.

If you only feed on fries and burgers, but eat them only in small quantities, you will lose weight over time. However , the fat deposits around the internal organs and leads to high blood pressure and poor blood levels. This can lead to strokes, heart attacks, cancer, thrombosis and Alzheimer's.

In order to lose weight healthily, it is important to eat a balanced diet and to take many nutrients . This is of the utmost importance to the body and your health. Counting calories is basically allowed and is used in almost every diet. But much more attention should be paid to giving the body everything it needs to get the most out of it. Therefore, focus on vegetables, fruits, legumes and protein sources in your diet. A big advantage of these foods is that you can eat a good deal of them - even during your diet. Thus, you will still be full and also eat healthy.

Exercise and keep a toned perineum

Do you play sports and you like that? Yes, but leaks sometimes occur, which can restrict you in your activity ... Or you know that it can happen and want to prevent this inconvenience. Solutions exist.

Leaks that occur during the sport? It is the incontinence of effort , which indicates a lack of tonicity of the perineum , but also poorly performed exercises. We often do not dare to talk about it , but precautions and solutions exist.

An association, Sport and specificities for women , has become aware of the problem and offers various tips. As stated by the association, created by a physiotherapist and chaired by a gynecologist, the female anatomy was not sufficiently taken into account in the advice given for the training and the practice of the sport. And this is how women find themselves doing "abs" (with high intra-abdominal pressure), or warm up by jumping on site, in a deleterious way for their perineum. Result: leaks and often, avoidance of sports activity!

The association has therefore set up a "passport", which, in addition to helping to identify its perineal problems, gives advice on the directions to take depending on his sport (both in terms of breathing at the time of the effort, that of "perineal locking") and its problem and sensitizes on what to do (and avoid doing!) everyday. This passport is declined according to the ages of the life (cost: between 20 and 30 euros).

The association offers workshops for individuals, but also collaborates with sports associations, awarding a label certifying that the training is adapted to the female anatomy. The workshops are varied: they can take place in group or solo, can address the sexuality (the perineum having a major importance in the sexual relations), the particular case of the pregnant woman, or that of the teenager.