Happy with your pysique

It's a specious line of reasoning, in that you can take any other external indicator and apply the same faulty logic: career/salary, skill in martial arts, ability to play chess, cook or crochet. It ignores the influence that other factors, many outside of one's control, have on a person's life. It ignores the need in everyone's life to make choices and set priorities. While I'd love to lose 10 lbs or so, I'm not willing to give up my daughter's baking to do it (Mmmmmmm.)

 

It most definitely can be.

One of the risks with a statement such as your oringinal one is that as people say you have to balance it out with other factors of your life. Which in my mind leads more to the conclusion that if you are happy with your life or lifestyle than you are happy.

Another risk is with mental disorders. I suggest you wouldn't even mention such a thing around someone who has been effected by anorexia. Changing your physical attritubes in a way you think will make you happier doesn't always mean a change to something healthier.

 

Awesome replies guys, its good to hear opposing opinions and views on this topic.

When it comes down to it, i realise this is a very "Black and White" statement.
Not making any allowance for grey areas.

This is just the way i look at it, a very blunt way of saying, don't complain about your physique, you made it that way.
The only people i believe that have a right to complain about their physique are the guy/girls who go and work hard in the gym to change it, and take active steps to make change etc.

They have all the right in the world to express views on it.

People who have spent their energy on other goals/objectives need not complain or even look at themselves with negativity, as they have not taken any steps which would lead them to any other result.

This is not a negative approach from my self at all.

Im not saying these people are not "worthy" of judging themselves.
It's more of the point of view, they shouldn't, as What else would they expect? if your happy with what you have achieved , be happy about your body you used to achieve it.

 

What about if your achievements actually come at the cost of your physique? People might be proud of their achievements and yet still be unhappy with their physique since lots of achievements have very little to do with having a good physique.

I overall agree with you that people should take responsibility for their own health but I think that the way you present it overlooks a whole lot of important variables...

 

Say you were unhappy with your physique, if what you have been doing with your life "which u freely choose" has made it this way.

Nah. Genetics comes into it too. How much you put in is only part of the equation.
An important part for sure but still only part.
I've been slim my whole life. Partly through training perhaps but I've always been slim. And that's with almost no effort.

 

You are completely right, it does very much "ignore variables" i think thats what is so good about it being so "Black and White" it has a tendency to make people stop making excuses, because its clear they will not be heard.

 

Gee. Makes you love contraception.

Big saggy belly, stretch marks, saggy boobs, weight gain, thick ankles. But oh no, my ‘excuses’ won’t be heard.

Your definition of ‘black and white’ to me more translates as “I’m couldn’t be bothered thinking about this deeply enough”. If you truly believed it was true you wouldn’t be afraid to pass this pearl of wisdom onto your clients.

In addition:
I have much respect for those who are secure enough in their body to realise it's shortcoming, think back on decisions made in there life and say it was all worth it.

If you look in the mirror to feel good (or bad) about yourself then I might not have much time for you.

You'd better hope you don't grow old either.

 

Lots of interesting comments on this thread. I could almost guess a posters age by the initial comments they made. That's not putting anyone down... but more that after a certain age you generally tend to become more tolerant or accepting of all that life throws at you. So you have a deeper understanding that not everyone has the time to workout. Like it or not... carving out a niche to make keeping fit and training part of your lifestyle... takes a massive amount of effort. It's takes gargantuan effort if you are married or have kids or both.

It will be hard to make any polarized answers apply across the board on this subject. It's such a broad issue with so many factors that can influence the individual and his/her physique.

I've always put being in good health way up on the top of my list. Sometimes at the expense of other things. It's curious because other than have a mother who worked her fingers to the bone I wasn't surrounded by health conscious people growing up.

Well... let's take a look at that though...

From early childhood till about 10 or 11 I was like most kids... I ran around... had rock fights, climbed trees, played hide and seek and basically burned off a ton of energy in any way possible.

Then comes 11 years till about 17... lots of energy burned in fights. The typical neighborhood stuff for So. Cal... not from this set... wearing wrong baseball cap... with bro's with wrong tattoo's. Wrong parking lot/convenience store at wrong time. Wrong group of friends, wrong part of town. The usual.

In a funny way... keeping fit did come in there... because we always had guys just out of the pen... and they'd go away and come back just HUGE! Strong as... it was a transformation. Impressive as hell when you are 12 or 13 to see someones older brothers rotating out and coming back all inked up and hard as nails. This stuff in a way got passed onto us as kids... not only because it made an impression from the sheer physical looks... but the chics in the hood dug it. Guys that just got out had earned their stripes and barrio chics dig that.

Also because these guy would continue their workouts that they did inside.. on the outside. So I knew guys who could just knock out press ups for hours. Just crazy strength and endurance on these cats. Not hard to get when you got nothing but time to work out. Back then weights were allowed in CA prisons so guys could get huge. No doubt like most other drugs many could get roids in the pen... but there is a massive amount of time to rest and do nothing in between workouts. So not hard to get mad hypertrophy going on. And the homeboys did... they'd come out yoked.. traps, lats forearms bulging. A big impression for kids looking to gain acceptance in that environment.

So as kids we worked out to. They would give us pointers and it was considered part of what made you tough if you could hang with these guys. One fella we had was a guy named Heuro (means 'whitey' in Spanish) and he knew ever push up/chin up variation known to man after a 2 year stint. He was a cool dude... showed us lots... wonder how his life would have been had he ever managed to stay out for long. He had the rep for being one bad dude in National City... which is still a dump to this very day. But last time he went up was pretty much for good. Never saw or heard from him again - but he did put a lot of us as young teenagers onto working out. Strange that. To be able to pull something positive out of all the BS that was around in those days.

So that influence as a kid definitely made me conscious of working out. And why you had to be strong and fit. People wouldn't likely pick a fight with a dude that size and look. Inside or out.

So in a weird way... I grew up with some good influences from some odd sources. It's shaped the way I think about training now. Partially why I have no fear to work out outside with only body weight stuff. Lots of cats talk the talk but not lots of cats walk the walk. So many people say their down with body weight exercise... but I'll tell you what's up... I'm out there damn near every day... I'm usually the only one. So many people can't get it done without a big fancy gym membership or special hi-tech training gear and techno music and some stupid mile long all inclusive gym membership.

Ok I'm rambling... sorry lost train of thought.

At any rate.. to contrast and compare that with my parents generation... they didn't know much about fitness. My old man was military... but wasn't around much... so not much influence there. Not a sports type at all. Never seen him do a press up... have a fist fight... or anything real physical. Mom was strong but more because she knew she had to work her whole life through. She dabbled in aerobics when it first hit the masses... did some ballet here and there... but raising kids and working full time to put food on the table and then having three kids constantly in trouble takes it out of you. That she spent a good portion of her life working with cops and convicts makes me appreciate her even more. It also made me see the line between the two was often very thin... if there at all. When you life that life don't have time to workout. So can I blame her for not being some fitness queen. No way. She could outwork any aerobics champ any day of the week... having worked in prisons and county jails most of her life I figure she'd teach a good majority of the RBSD crowd a thing or two.

But that's the way it is... life gets in the way... it's the lucky person and the right alignment of events that allows you to worry about your physique and make training a part of your everyday lifestyle. It's not nearly as easy or accessible as it seems right off.

Anywho... that's a ramble.. lol. Not sure that even addresses the subject off this thread.:ban:

 

Goodness me...insert your favourite 8 tracks, your favourite book and a luxury item and you've got a DAMN good episode of "Desert Island discs" right there.

For myself...never had ANY fitness role models my entire life. Parents both smokers. I think that's partially why I find it a struggle to implement it in my life even now.

 

Indeed. Also Environment. I think that if you see a predominant healthy lifestyle/fit people in your neighbourhood/school/work it helps re-enforce your own efforts to live cleaner and vice-versa. It's difficult not to end up living in harmony with your surroundings, which is not good if that is lines of chippys and burger joints and the local supermarket has always got cheap booze and sweets but rarely has cheap (or even fresh) lean meat and fruit and veg.

 

Pretty much this

 

I agree with you. I don't like people with that attitude. There are all sorts of things in people's life especially if they are older and have kids, that have to come before getting fit, and I can't exactly blame someone if they have been at their job all day then are looking after their kids and complain about how they look.

Same here. 5'7, 50kg, hyper-fast metabolism.

It irritates me though that people take one look at my thin frame and assume I'm really weak. I was actually forbidden to carry plastic chairs in high school 'because you'll barely manage those, you'll hurt yourself.' Plastic chairs.

I'm not even weak, either. I'm no Varya Akulova, but I can bench my own body weight after a few months of working out. Not exactly a glass doll.

 

Y'know I'm not going go off tangent and just try to answer it with a yes or no and an explanation.

Yes you should love the way you look.

First of all you should care about your health. Personally I do almost equate health with physical beauty. It's the leading thing that contributes to your looks. Personally I can see where my drinking problem, pizza and cigarettes are and I can also see where my exercises, lean proteins, and fiber is.

I used to be slim due to youth. I'm still young but my body is changing and now I can't ignore my bad habits. I let myself go for a year and hated the results. Then I got poor, got overworked, and got injured. But I'm working through it and like what I see though its a work in progress.

But its not just physical health its mental health. I've known ppl who had serious mental illness and seen how their faces changed. I see how I look when I'm down compared to when I'm doing good and I notice a difference. It's not just a mind trick. The relationship between mental and physical health is a bit too complicated to comprehensively post but I do see solid connection.

At the end of the day other factors in your life aside. Your looks, your health should make you happy.

 

You're quite the flexible one aren't you.

 

Same here. My Dad has Emphysema and I push my Mum around in a wheelchair. Neither of them smoke now though.

 

Wow there is always one.. Well done!:bang:

Where to start sigh.... your feeble attempts to take stabs, obviously shows this has hit a nerve in your wee world.


Post pregnancy? are you serious? My Post pregnancy clients are the one of the most dedicated clients i have.. and are the first to display this frame of mind! they realise they gave life to sacrifice their pre pregnancy bodies, and now they come to me to restore it, no excuses from them, they dont complain at all, or mention in any way the side affects you mentioned. Well done!

“I’m couldn’t be bothered thinking about this deeply enough”.?

I believe you ment

“I couldn’t be bothered thinking about this deeply enough”.

once again, Wow you completely made a moron out of yourself, maybe go back and read the previous posts and actually sit and think about what they mean, or even try and see from the point of view i am proposing, its obvious you are indeed the one who can not be bothered thinking "Deeply" enough.
Or else i wouldnt have to spell things out to you:bang:

And yes i regularly look in the mirror to guage my results, that i have been training to, and either feel good/bad, its my job to, and i have no issues making the most of the success i have gained by looking in the mirror.

So that means "righty" has no time for me? well done again, the fact you are using this as a argument point is rediculous, you are a no body, all you are is a name on the screen "righty" the fact that a "no body" has no time for people who look in the mirror for satisfaction such as myself.. well next time dont bother expressing that, it means nothing.

I better hope i dont grow old? this keeps getting better! , when i am classed a elderly gentleman. There will be no excuses out of my mouth, nor will there be any regret about the state of my body, for when i do reach this status, i know whats waiting for me. a thrashed old body that seariously needs a new shot of life in it after all its been through.

No regret, for i will be happy with what i have achieved with this body, no excuses.

Maybe take heed of the previous and later posts, and see how they structured their professional opposing opinions, i can see the knot in your knickers from here, you may then form a stronger argument.

Aplogies to anyone reading this, i dont have my reading glasses with me.. might have a few errors

 

Strong point slip, nice point of view.

Taking it back to the root "Cause" is always a good way to start.

 

Speaking of getting knickers in a knot...

There are numerous posts throughout the thread mentioning the shortcomings of your approach mentioned you described in the original post.

I was making a point that despite these mentioned shortcomings, many of which you seemed to agree with you still stood by your original theory of sorts by saying the following

My biggest disagreement with your idea is that it does not account for a number of factors physical attributes that cannot be improved or changed by adjusting diet and exercise including genetic factors, conscious lifestyle balances and psychological factors and dangers.

The effects of pregnancy and aging are two examples. Looking at pregnancy, not all of the effects can be canceled out by diet and exercise, examples (which I mentioned previously) are stretch marks and sagging boobs. Now if you have a miracle cure for these you can share with us and your clients, then please go ahead.

Now you have your 'clients' and so I am going to take a (mature) educated guess you are a personal trainer or something similar. And by your comments and opinion presented here, my general low opinion of personal trainers has not risen any. This especially now combined with your newer thread about 'looking good remedies'.

 

Now you have your 'clients' and so I am going to take a (mature) educated guess you are a personal trainer or something similar. And by your comments and opinion presented here, my general low opinion of personal trainers has not risen any. This especially now combined with your newer thread about 'looking good remedies'.

Like i said earlier re frame with your opinions on certain trades, and who you do and do not have time for. you are a no body, on a key board.

As i'm aware. this is a place to share knowledge and opposing views. no one asked who you have time for, nor care.

Except for now, heres your spot.

Please do me the honor of elaborating on how, me expressing a process i take for general well being can taint the view u have of "personal trainers"

How is this in any way negative? sharing what i find effective and rewarding for myself, and asking for other techniques people may use?

This should be good.

 

You didn't specifically ask who I had time for, however you did clearly ask people to share their beliefs on the issue, which is exactly what I did. What I expressed is clearly a personal belief that I have. I do not force this on anyone and I don't expect everyone to agree with it. I also did not say that you in particular fell into the definition of people I may not have time for.

This is just my personal opinion on people who put too much emphasis and emotional value on physical looks. You yourself have expressed your personal opinion throughout these forums and in particular this thread. So why should my opinion have any more or less merit than mine or anyone else's?

My personal experiences with personal trainers leaves me to generalise (and yes I clearly not and have previously used the term 'generalise') that they are closed minded, ignorant less willing to help those who do not share similar fitness or fitness goals and values.

Despite the weaknesses of your theory being described by both myself and other contributors to this thread that you even admitted had merit, you still stuck with your original theory without modification. So in areas, you conform to my already present definition of your average personal trainer.

By your own expression it is good and I have shared what I find effective and rewarding for myself. This is exactly what I have done. Now this is quite "Blunt" and maybe "Bold" (to use your own words) in how it is expressed. But it is still my expressed personal opinion as are any posts that you make, which doesn't make us any different at all. Except I choose not to take personal offense.