Seven Tips to Create Your Ideal Body
Here's what I tell anybody and this is what I believe. The greatest gift we have is the gift of life. We understand that. That comes from our Creator. We're given a body. Now you may not like it, but you can maximize that body the best it can be maximized. ~ Mike Ditka
Visualize the Body You Want
Is exercise part of your daily life? What are your eating habits? Have you seen someone who has the body or fitness level you want?
My sister Tiffany has been a fitness enthusiast for years. She is in excellent shape and looks fantastic. I have been in the gym with her when she is training and I can’t count the number times someone has come over to her and said: "I want a body like that” (motioning towards her). The wonderful thing about observing this over the years is that these people have been motivated by looking at her and have created a vision for what they want. What my sister has taught me and her clients is physicality is more than just an exercise regimen; physical fitness is manifested through healthy eating, an active lifestyle and fostering mental, spiritual and social well-being.
Transforming your body will not happen overnight. It will happen in due time, but you must believe. Visualize the body you want, be intentional and consistent. Make healthy eating and exercise a part of your everyday life and run towards “a body like that” (your ideal body).
Design the Body You Want
You have heard it before. Your body is your temple. It is the only place you have to live. We are all unique. Since we all don’t have the same body type or conditioning, we don’t all want the same thing. The body you want may be different from the body I want. According to the popular, nationally certified fitness professional, Tiffany Savion there are seven basic tips to begin to design the body you want. Here’s how:
- Look in the mirror and visualize the body you want.
- Set a fitness goal and date to achieve it.
- Find an exercise buddy or exercise group.
- Discovery an exercise routine that works for you.
- Gradually start eating healthy.
- Listen to your body.
- Keep track of your progress.
You can also find Dr. Savion on her website, Google+, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook.
APA Reference
Savion, S.
(2014, October 11). Seven Tips to Create Your Ideal Body, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, April 18 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/livingablissfullife/2014/10/seven-tips-to-create-your-ideal-body
Author: Sydney Savion, D.Ed.
This advice is too broad to be applicable to people who may live with eating disordered behavior, mental illness, or idiopathic diseases from mental health medication. First & foremost, there should be a reference to consulting a physician, nutritionist, smoking cessation specialist, therapist, etc. to discuss a person's body image and health goals. Without the help of a licensed nutritionist, I would not have given my body the holistic care I deserved.
Second, my concern is that the visualization advice is not grounded in an applicable theory such as what you'd find in sports psychology, e.g. "see the ball," or cognitive behavioral therapy, re-framing negative self-talk. I visualize the body I want all the time, in fact, I will cut out the magazine images of models & celebrities whose features I "admire" not unlike your sister. I suffer from body dysmorphia. I don't see my clearly and neither do many people living with or without mental illness. The body image I internalize is not realistic and visualization alone will not challenge it. If I don't challenge it I will never see what my body CAN do to help me live well.