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Get the body you’ve always wanted |
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Slim and toned or ripped abs and bulging muscles.
It’s totally possible no matter what shape you are in now!
Don’t you believe me? Don’t be so quick to say no.
Read on…
I’m a big fan of healthy eating and exercising and taking care of your body.
“The body is the temple of the soul” and for that very reason it is good to take care of your body and get it and keep it in tip-top shape.
There are certain things about your physique that you simply cannot change and have to live with for the rest of your life. If you cannot accept that then you will be unhappy as long as you see yourself in the mirror.
These are things like your height, your skin color and your bone structure.
Pretty much everything else you can change ranging from your hair color to getting braces for your teeth to getting a slim,toned and muscular body with no fat. I am really a believer that almost everyone can get a gorgeous body irrespective of their looks or genetics.
I’m not a nutritionist nor a personal trainer, but I have done plenty of reading and research about these topics and want to share with you what I know.
There are two parts to getting and keeping a healthy and great-looking body.
1 – The food that you eat
2 – Exercise
The food you eat
I must say that this depends a little bit on genetics because there are different body types meaning some people are able to metabolise carbs or proteins very well and for others it turns into fat when they eat too much. I’m lucky enough to be able to eat pretty much anything as much as I want without getting fat, but I try and eat as healthy as I can.
The ideal diet would consist of pretty much only raw fruit and vegetables and lean proteins.
That is what our digestive systems are designed for and the Western diet full of processed and sugary foods is creating many mnay problems in society ranging from obesity to diabetes to heart disease and many other complications.
If you have one of the above conditions, personally I would say that you need to attack the root of the problem (too much processed foods and too little healthy foods) and not treat the symptoms with operations or pills and medication. That is just my unprofessional opinion.
I know how nice it is to eat candy bars, and burgers and fries, and to order takeout instead of cooking.
Eating healthy is a habit you need to learn and get into but once you are in the mode of eating healthy, it is effortless and you actually enjoy snacking on raw brocolli and eating salads and chickens and fish.
I read once that studies showed that it takes an average of 21 days for an action to become a habit, so those first 21 days are the hardest.
I would say that it is better to slowly start phasing in the healthy foods instead of trying to stop eating junk food completely, because to stop completely is such an abrupt and massive change that most people simply cannot do this. Myself included.
Start with one day a week of a totally processed food free day, eating only fruits,vegetables, nuts and lean protein. After time take it up to two days, and then three days and before you know it you will be eating healthy 6 days a week with just an occasional junkfood snack inbetween.
Besides the fact that eating like this will prevent you from getting fat (or helping you lose weight if you are), you will experience a life with far less little complications and illnesses and have much more energy during the day for your tasks and activities.
Exercise
In combination with eating healthy, exercise will help you lose weight and keep it off, and help you get that toned slim body you’ve always wanted.
Some people go to the gym and just lift weight and expect to lose weight. They do not change their diet and then after a few months they wonder why they are still overweight and then decide to give up on gym because it doesn’t work for them.
This exercise comes in various ways for different situations.
Let me explain. If you are overweight and unfit, you should not focus on just lifting weights. Your main form of exercise should be cardio. Running, cycling, rowing, swimming. This is to burn those calories and use up the fat that you have. After you have lost it, only then should you focus on building muscle. This should be done in conjunction with eating healthy as decribed above.
If you are really thin or skinny, and want to build muscle and become more defined, then you should not focus on cardio as much. Cardio is neccessary for you to stay fit, but not for you to lose weight, so you should focus on weight lifting and muscle building. Personally this was and now is to a lesser degree my situation. I run a few km’s once a week and train my martial arts for my fitness and cardio, and besides that I focus on weight lifting. All muscle groups: arms, legs, shoulders,abs,chest,back. Of course also in conjuction with eating healthy, but I eat extra protein (tuna,eggs or lean chicken) after the exercise session so my body can build that muscle.
I am not a supporter of supplements or creatine or any of these bodybuilding products to bulk up and gain weight. They do work but I just like to do it naturally.
Getting in shape and being and staying healthy is a process just like any process I have described in my previous posts.
What you need to do is to write down your goals and make a plan of action.
Do I want a slim toned body? Yes/no
Do I want to be healthy and have few complications? Yes/no
Do I want more energy during the day? Yes/no
How am I going to take action?
Make a schedule for the week:
Monday: Morning run 2km
Tuesday:Gym cardio 30 minutes
Wednesday:Morning run 2km
Thursday:Gym cardio 1 hour
Etc.
Define your goals, make a plan of action and stick to it, chipping away slowly over time and getting a gorgeous and healthy body.
Oh, as an incentive, I’m sure you are aware that having a good body gets you good compliments from the opposite sex? And people of the same sex automatically have a certain sense of respect for you.
You know that saying “look good and feel good”?
They don’t say it for nothing.
I hope that this post made you realise that no matter what shape you are in now or what genetics you think you have, it is possible to get a toned and muscular healthy body.
Start working on yours today 
Excellent blog, Diggy. Indeed, small steps lead to big changes. The first 21 days are indeed the hardest. Keep up the good work! I enjoy reading your articles!
–Felix
Hey Felix!
Welcome and nice to have you:)
Just had a look at your blog, seems you wrote a whole book, I read the first feew paragrpahs but realised im going to have to sit and take a whole afternoon in the sun and read the chapters. Im always interested in new books:)
As I read this, I am sitting here eating a spinach salad with avocado, tomatoes, radishes, and cooked chicken! What great timing you have! I love the idea of just integrating your ideal way to eat a couple times a week. I also am a big fan of trying to add positive behaviors, instead of focusing on subtracting the negative. I figure that this way, if I just add enough of the behaviors I want… I wont have anytime left for the ones that I don’t want!
Great post, Diggy. 
Hiiiii Karen!
Mmm, yum, that salad sounds really good, going to try that one sometime this week!
Nice way of putting it, adding positive behaviours and subtracting negative ones step by step until you have achieved to be the kind of person you want to be:)
Till next time
Hi Diggy, I didn’t know you did martial arts. I do martial arts as well and I’m currently research practical methods for muscle building while still doing weight lifting 3x week. I agree that cardio is not very useful if one is already slim but one exercise I still found useful is rope jump. I’d like to talk more with you about this subject because I’m really interested.
Hey Oscar!
Cool, martial arts are awesome, I love it.
Sent you an email:)
Diggy, 8 months ago I ate complete junk and processed foods with little or no fruits and vegetables. Now I eat no dairy or gluten, very few processed foods, no refined carbs or grains. I’m eating tons of fruits and vegetables, lots of chicken and turkey, and I am starting to look at grass fed beef. I did it SLOWLY and it was easy. It was almost no change from day to day. No shock and no cold turkey. It actually seemed easy by doing it gradually.
Your young body is still pumping out optimum levels of hormones. My 48 year-old never exercised body doesn’t know what a hormone is. So I have started to exercise but I need help (aka supplements).
Thanks for the great article!
Hi Stephen!
Wow,I’m glad to hear that you successfully managed the transition from junk foods and processed foods to more natural and raw foods.
I wish I could convince the entire world to do so, it’s so much healthier:)
Glad you enjoyed the post:)
Diggy
diggy you legend!!
cool to see your site getting bigger… and looking better!!
i recommend getting “brian’s threaded comments” plugin for flowing convos.
you can’t talk about ripped bodies. you’ve always been ripped . bastad
thursday. chevelle ownage. definitely. funk your school night kuck!!
keep well bra
alex – unleash reality
[...] Diggy – UpgradeReality.com wrote an interesting post today onGet the body you've always wantedHere’s a quick excerpt [...]
Good read….very inspiring
Hey Crystal!
Nice to see you here!:)
Hope to see you around more often!
Glad you enjoyed the post, have a great weekend!
Can somebody translate Alex’s foreign language for me? I read his comments and I might as well be reading Chinese.
Haha:) If you get to know him you’ll totally understand what he means:)
[...] you have read some of my other posts like Get the body you’ve always wanted 14 ways to enhance your life How to build confidence with anything you do Pushing your comfort [...]
Excellent post and even a more excellent blog. This is going in my Google Reader.
Do you have any more tips on how to get started? I’ve made up plans before but I got around to actually get out there and walk every morning.
Hi Stefan!
Thank you for the kind words, glad you like it and thanks for subscribing:)
Well, I’d suggest once you have made your plan, start with it the next day immediately. Do not put it off, attack it one day at a time, taking baby steps until you feel confident enough to go at it harder:)
Fibrous food is very good for health. It meets the your daily food requirements. I would say that it is the easiest way to loose weight without even exercising.
I’ve been really lazy this winter and have been eating lots of junk / not exercising. I’m kinda like a bear in hibernation
Lately, though, I’ve been adding a lot more fruit to my diet, have started going back to the gym and am successfully cutting out my boredom eating sessions. Small steps, but they do really work – I’ve lost 2 kilos already, without restricting myself at all.
curiousjessica´s last blog ..Plan of Attack
Heya Jessica!
Haha, yeah winter tends to do that, its too cold to go out and junkfood gives a certain sense of satisfaction
Great you’re making progress! Keep it up and get that sexy body back