Don’t you believe me? Don’t be so quick to say no.

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 teeth whitening 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, many 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 take-out 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 broccoli 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 junk food snack in-between.

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 described 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 necessary 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 conjunction 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 body-building 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.

Plan of Action

What you need to do is to write down your goals and make a plan of action.

Do you want a slim toned body? Yes/no
Do you want to be healthy and have few complications? Yes/no
Do you want more energy during the day? Yes/no

How are you 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