How to Get a Perfect Body

Photo via whole9life.com

It seems like if we all had the answer to the question, how do we get a perfect body?, suddenly our lives would improve immeasurably, birds would sing and we'd be happy for eternity.

Right?

Think of all of the companies out there trying to sell you this product and that product, with the promise of (fill in the blank) to help you get that body and happiness that you somehow just can't obtain on your own. Sadly, it's in our culture to pursue the ever elusive ideal of perfection.

Well, I have a little bit of insight on this topic. In fact, I have the answer for you.

Ready? Wait for it. Wait for it.

There is no perfect. It's all relative.

This is something I think we all know intuitively, but lose sight of it when we're constantly bombarded with images of what thin is -- or what sexy is -- or what fit is.

The truth of the matter is that we're all different. That's worth repeating. We're. All. Different. What is perfect for one person, isn't necessarily perfect for the next person. And let's not forget that some ideals may not even be genetically possible for some people.

Yes, genetics play a huge role in what we look like. No matter how hard I try, I'll never look like Serena Williams. Granted, I can put on muscle, sure. But how I put on muscle won't look like how she puts on muscle because we're different people, with different genetics.

Let's use sports to makes sense of this on a very basic level. Well, because we all love using sports to simplify matters in life, right?

In football, quarterbacks and linemen have two completely different body types -- and yet, both are professional athletes operating at peak performance. Chances are, a QB will never look like a lineman and vice versa. And in boxing, a heavyweight (think Mike Tyson) would never look like a welterweight (think Manny Pacquiao), and vice versa.

Of course these are very broad generalizations that I'm using to make a point. There are exceptions in everything, but generally speaking, this is the case.

Now that said, we can all work hard to achieve the body we want that's within our capabilities. How is this done? With focus, dedication and consistency. This is where we start.

If you're not putting in the work, you can't sit around complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. Hard work does pay off. Exercise often, eat clean often and you'll get where you want to be.

Keep in mind that it takes time. Two weeks of exercising and eating clean isn't going to reverse years of avoiding exercise and poor eating. Put in the work and make yourself a priority.

Set goals. Make a plan. Follow the plan through. Tweak plan if necessary. Achieve goals.

And in the process, don't get all caught up in some ideal of what you're supposed to look like. You decide what you should look like, don't let anyone else decide that for you.

Nope. I'm Not Perfect

Photo by Mylyn Ramos on Flickr

I never advocate perfection. Let's face it -- it's unattainable, nobody's perfect.

Over the weekend I indulged in some goodies that won't appear on anybody's list of diet foods. Potato skins, fried cheese and McDonald's -- oh yes. I indulged.

Saturday

The Hubby, twins and I decided to go out and stray away from our usual diet of fruit, veggies and baked meats.

Our first intention was to try out Joe's Farm Grill -- essentially a burger joint complete with all the delicious sides like french fries and onion rings. But what's great about Joe's is that they use fresh and natural ingredients that come from the farm situated right behind the restaurant -- a neat aspect that probably added to the reasons why they were featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-in and Dives."

But when we got there, the line was way out of the door! We were too hungry to wait. So, we decided we'll have to try Joe's another day.

After a short drive, we ended up at Chili's. There wasn't a wait and they quickly accommodated our table with two high chairs for the little ones.

We started with mozzarella sticks and potato skins. I love potato skins and was just about in heaven. But, in an effort to not be totally ridiculous, I had a salad for my main meal.

Sunday

The indulgence continues. For lunch, the boys and I picked up some lunch to drop off to Hubby who had to go into work.

We stopped at Phoenicia Cafe, a Middle Eastern restaurant, which has recently been added to my list of places for good food. Back home in Michigan, I was a little spoiled because there are a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants and I could easily have my favorite, a chicken shawarma sandwich. But since moving from Michigan and living in several different states, it has been tough finding places that make a good shawarma, until now.

After picking up the food and dropping off to Hubby, I decided I wanted something sweet. So, I stopped at McDonald's (gasp!). I had never tried any of their McCafe coffee drinks. And since I wanted a little caffeine and something sweet, I thought it ought to do the trick.

Unfortunately, the coffee was way too sweet for me. I never thought this was possible, but it actually tasted like fast-food coffee -- all super sugary syrup and hardly any coffee taste.

That's it. That wraps up my weekend of indulging in fried foods, sweets and bad food combinations. As I write this, it's Monday and I've been back on track. Fruit in the morning and a giant salad for lunch.

It is important to realize that you're not perfect and as such, you won't eat perfectly all of the time.

Make sure you eat well the majority of the time, that way when you do indulge it's not so bad. And for goodness sake, don't allow a little indulgence turn into weeks and months of ongoing indulgences.

Find a balance that works for you -- and for your goals.

31 Days of Weight Loss Tips: Day 22 Chill Out

Photo by Dawn on Flickr

So you ate a donut yesterday and you missed a workout last week and you picked up a candy bar while standing in the checkout lane at the grocery store. So what. Chill out and relax.

Don't beat yourself up about being perfect and never missing a workout or ever eating anything bad . When you're trying to adopt healthier habits, it's not about perfection -- it's about making improvements. Because, let's face it, there will be slip ups.

The goal is to gradually make more good choices than bad.

I've had a lot of clients that felt like, if they missed one workout or if they broke down and ate fast food, that it was over  -- as if they lost the battle and were doomed to be unfit and unhealthy forever.

It is unrealistic to think you can take years and years of bad habits and change them overnight, no matter how motivated and determined you may be.

If you're overly excited about a weight loss or fitness program, you are only setting yourself up for failure. Yup, that's right.

How many people do you know that have been really excited about getting in the gym come the first of the year? They've gone out, gotten a gym membership, new shoes, new clothes, gadgets even -- only to completely fall off not even a month into the program.

My advice is to be realistic and understand that making changes takes time. Don't buy into the hype of all the magazines promising you can get abs in 30 days or drop 10 pounds in a certain amount of time. It's different for everybody. Just take things slow. If you slip up, don't get down on yourself -- just immediately pick right back up. And by all means, don't make a bad situation worse by having one slip turn into weeks of not even trying.

Making fitness improvements is definitely a long-term endeavor. Relax. Take one day at a time and eventually you'll reach your goals. The key is to never give up, be realistic and strive to make more good choices than bad.