Swimsuit season: Don't freak, HydroChic!

   When the sweet people at HydroChic sent me samples of their "sun protective activewear" to test drive on my trip to Mexico in March, I was eager to give them a go. The line of tops and bottoms offered my skin cancer-prone skin UV protection on the UPF 50 level, and significantly more coverage than my go-to bathing suit. "Sporty modest swimwear" is what they call it, illustrating the concept in this tongue-in-cheek video depicting a woman's day at the beach....

   I have felt that gal's pain, but I've let go of most of my modesty as the decades have passed, especially when I'm on a beach with a bunch of people I'll never see again.  (Who cares if they see my dimply thighs? Another margarita, please!) But, the skin cancer thing. That's serious.  So, I wore the top seen in the above picture along with a regular bottom when I swam in the ocean.  The hubs said I looked just like those Size 2 surfer girls. (Clearly, he'd had one margarita too many. And, no, I don't have a picture. You'll have to take my word for it.)
   My favorite piece, however, was this "fitness skirt" which I wore on a 3-mile hike through the jungle...

then into the ocean to cool off.  The skirt dried in twenty minutes, just in time for me to hike back to the hotel for another margarita, I mean, nap. I expect to wear that skirt everywhere this summer, especially for travel.

    You may not want to actually swim in a skirt that long (the company offers shorter and still-longer lengths) and there is some 'getting used to' swimming in sleeves. But, if you're beyond the 'baring all' stage - for whatever reason - check out HydroChic. It may get you back in the swim.