My BodyBlog

Occasionally when I look in the mirror the first thought that crosses my mind is how fat I am.  I see my small gut and wonder if I’ll ever reach my goal of losing enough body fat to bring out my abs.  These negative thoughts flash across my mind in a couple of seconds before my ‘real’ brain cuts in and looks at the situation from a rational persepective.  The reality is, I have already lost a lot of body fat.  My ‘gut’ is smaller than ever.  My diet is better than its ever been and I’m doing more cardio.  I have seen significant progress over the last 6 weeks, and I’ve received comments about my changing body from family and friends.  I have every reason to be optomistic that I will continue to progress and I will achieve my goals.  I just need to keep working and have patience.  So why are negative thoughts sometimes the first ones to cross my mind?

For one, I have had a negative self body-image for most of my life, and I guess old habits die hard.  Another reason I think is the instinct to compare myself to others.  I see photos in the gallery of men my age and older with lean, muscular physiques and I want so much to achieve that for myself that when I look in the mirror my gut reaction is one of disappointment.  On a logical level I know that comparing myself to these photos is rediculous in so many ways!  Some of these men have been athletic all of their lives, and have been bodybuilding for years!  They may be personal trainers and can make staying fit the primary focus of their lives every day!  I’ve only worked out for 4 years, and have only been on a very clean diet for 15 weeks.  Of course I don’t look like those men!  Given the limitations of genetics, I can’t expect to be as muscular as the next guy.  I just want to be in the best shape that I can be.

On the other hand, I know that some of the men in those photos started out with more body fat than me, and they have gone on to achieve a very high level of fitness.  This gives me encouragement to keep working hard, knowing that I will progress slowly and there is no reason why I can’t have the body I want one day.

Comparing yourself to others can be a dangerous thing.  We are all unique individuals with our own life circumstances and limitations.  We have to do the best we can for our bodies each and every day, knowing that all the things we accomplish, for both exercise and nutrition, contribute in positive way to our body transformation.  To look at another person or a picture and feel badly because you don’t look that way is extremely counter-productive and when it happens you have to shake off the feeling and realize how fortunate you are to have reached a place in your life where you want to be fit.  Many people never get to that point and don’t realize how much they are missing.

I can’t stop negative thoughts from crossing my mind, but I can dismiss them just as quickly, thankful that I’m living a healthy lifestyle and enjoying every minute of it.     

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.