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July 16, 2015, 7:05 PM GMT / Source: TODAY By Jordan Muto

It’s officially beach season and we’ve got good news for you: It may be easier to show off that "bikini body" than you think.

TODAY spoke with Sophie Kay, a personal trainer and fitness blogger, who proved that the "before-and-after" fitness makeover can be as easy as taking a selfie.

In a recent post about fitness myths on her blog Fitology, Kay highlights the inaccuracies that so often persist on social media. Instead of taking the before-and-after photos weeks or even months apart to show an actual transformation, these selfies were taken within three minutes of each other.

Sophie Kay / Fitology

“The idea for the post came from photos on Instagram and Facebook saying do this diet or exercise and you’ll like this in two weeks, but it’s just not true,” said Kay.

So how did Kay make the two pictures looks so different? It all comes down to some quick and easy photo styling tricks.

Kay admits she hasn’t always been super fit, explaining she’s been everything from overweight to even too skinny. But over the past few years, she dedicated her life to being healthy.

“I’ve worked to get into shape and feel happy about my body, so I don’t look in the mirror and hate it,” she said. “I trained as a personal trainer to help other people become the best they can be, not the best other people can be.”

The reality is that if you’re not dedicated to fitness and dieting (and perhaps don't have the genes to support it), it’s almost possible to look like the images of models and celebrities that flood social media.

“Just because someone at work has lost 20 pounds doing some diet doesn’t mean you will. You’re never going to be them because you’re you,” Kay explained.

Sophie Kay

At 27, Kay has noticed the pressures on body image intensify over the years.

“Growing up there was pressure from magazines and TV shows, but that was about it. Now, you’re constantly bombarded with images of the perfect woman or perfect man,” said Kay.

But with the right lighting and pose, you can still take the perfect full-body selfie. Kay has six simple tricks for anyone who has the confidence to work the camera: