Whether it’s possible to ever attain “the perfect body” remains to be seen (perhaps there is no single perfect body out there). But that hasn’t stopped many of us trying. We’ve all got an image in our head of what our own perfect body means and we’re desperate to make it a reality.
But getting the perfect body isn’t just about working hard. It’s also about being smart. The people on the front of magazines not only put in the hours; they’re also smart, building upon the knowledge of generations before them.
Reconnect With Your Physicality
The first thing to do is reconnect with your body. That might sound like a strange thing to say, but many of us in the West can go for years without challenging our bodies and trying to find out what they’re capable of. We sometimes forget, that we are physical beings and that our bodies were once as important as our minds.
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Start off by exploring your body with yoga, finding out which areas are tight and which aren’t. Then do some stretching movements to open up the muscles and prepare them for the weeks of work you’ll be putting in at the gym.
Don’t Forget Cardio
Cardio can be a bit of a chore if you’re the sort of person who likes to do resistance training. But you’ll get a lot more from your workout sessions if you find a way to combine aerobic training with regular weights. Research has shown that people who combine weights with cardiovascular exercise experience far greater gains in muscle size and density than those who don’t according to womenshealthandfitness.com.
A fun way to incorporate cardio is to make it a part of your resistance training, killing two birds with one stone. You could, for instance, do fifty pushups, followed by fifty deadlifts, followed by fifty bodyweight squats and then repeat until you’ve been going for ten minutes. Not only will this force your muscles to work hard, but it’ll also train your cardiovascular system too.
Eat Your Way To A Better Physique
As sites like Zwivel.com point out, sculpting your body can be a challenge. But you can make it a lot easier by choosing the right foods. Some foods actually assist your body in burning excess fat, returning your figure to its natural “wild-type” shape. If possible, try to avoid fad diets as these almost always end in reverting to your old dietary habits. A much better approach is to make small changes that you know that you can stick to. Things like eating oatmeal for breakfast or skipping your mid-morning sugary snack and replacing it with a pomegranate.
Take A Holistic View Of Your Body
Often you’ll see people in the gym who have trained one part of their body but neglected another. Not only does this look silly, but it also creates imbalances in the body which could lead to injury. Take a look at your body in the mirror and ask which parts need work and which parts are fine as they are. Aim for symmetry.
