Exercise - Free Fitness Library

Your very own fitness achievement

So, what are you planning to do this winter? Our climate change and short daylight hours are one of the major reasons why we're a lazy nation. It's so easy to be active in warm sunny weather. Dark, cold nights, change of diet means less activity and weight gain - especially for women - it's Battle of The Body time ... maybe not ... Have you had a physical achievement?
You may look at those hard bodied, stream line thin girls with not an ounce of fat on them - many of whose life's are predominately simple. They workout everyday, they have a career in fitness and they love training. Their body fat is kept low by good genes, extreme dieting, an eating disorder or following the optimum nutritional diet personally devised by a dietician, they are someone you are not, maybe they just aren't interested in food.

You may be proud of your body until you are repeatedly confronted with this lean body image, either on holiday, in a gym or aerobics class. Don't be so self-damming. Quit all those negative thoughts, (whatever the visual impact that has swayed your feelings) be positive and keep your self image in prospective. Age is the worst contributing factor to lower ones self esteem, especially when you're in a class/gym environment of hard bodies.
Let's get this in proportion. If ultra lean fit people de-motivate you, stay clear of them, workout at quieter time. Realise that these people are not looking at you - they are so self obsessed they only see themselves and the tone and shape of their body. Yes, they may fleetingly glance at you when you puff away on a bike but it's only for a second.
Yet if you think back I'm sure you have had a physical achievement. Whether it was permanently losing weight over a long period of time, hiking up a mountain, winning the fathers day race at sportsday, dancing all night on holiday, cycling in a race or finishing a charity race, regaining your muscular strength and flexibility after a car crash or major injury, losing the motherhood pregnancy bulges - I won't say regaining your former shape as one is never the same after motherhood, (especially if you have more than 1 child), overcoming an eating disorder, getting through a fitness weekend such as the Sunday Mirror's Fit'n'Fun or taking up regular exercise in you thirties or forties.

These are all physical achievements that may not seem as challenging as being an aerobic champion, a top athlete or the ultimate hard body yet they are real. Your life is full of achievements that have a major impact on your self esteem yet you don't notice or consider them - they seem trivial.
At the end of each week make a note in a diary of what you physically achieved that week, whether it was getting to the gym 3 times or taking the kids for a long bike ride.

Create goals for the following week, you'll soon be notching up all your achievements and striving to enhance the person you are.

LC

 

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