The Big Picture

The Big Picture

 

A picture is worth 1000 words.

Over the last week, many of you had taken a “before” photo for the 8 week challenge. Some of you would have absolutely dreaded it and quite possibly would not show anybody but yourself. Some of you could actually compare it to previous photos just to see how far you come. Either way it was a very eye opening experience to start off the first week of the 8 week journey.

 

BAM! There it is! Staring you right in the face.

 

This picture digs up a lot of mixed emotions and feelings. You might ask yourself questions like “When did it start to turn?” “How did it end up like this?” or on the flipside, “This is the first step on my journey” or “I’m not there yet, but I am closer than where I was yesterday.”

 

This simple picture brings out the best and worst in us. It brings out our fears, self-doubts and those little negative demons in the back of the mind telling you that you are stuck looking like you do. It also brings out positive feelings like hope, determination and it also serves as a starting point for the rest of the journey.

 

Admit it. As soon as you saw your picture, you scrunched your nose up and focused on your negative areas. I know that I did. Personally, I always got teased growing up for having skinny legs and a big upper body so every time I look in the mirror, I look at my legs to see if they have magically grown into meaty tree trunks overnight. Then over your inspection, you find other flaws and imperfections in your body that you cannot stand the sight of. The self-loathing starts to kick in and before you know it, you have critically scrutinised every single inch of your body. Sometimes we look in the mirror and we are amazed at that sexy creature staring back at us and other times, we wonder how the hell did Quasimodo get out of the bell tower? This is not just you. This is every single person on planet earth.

 

4 – Time Mr Olympia winner Phil Heath once quoted “There is no such thing as a perfect body. I do not have a perfect body. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to achieve that.” We get lost in trying to strive for the unreachable sometimes. I personally always wanted rippling abdominals, big legs and “Cuts that drive girl’s nuts.” Instead, when I look in the mirror I see a pouch underneath my belly button that would make Skippy envious, toothpick legs and calves that possibly would win me 2015 Miss America. The reason I bring this up is to show you that we get lost in pushing for something that might come our way in the future rather than focusing on the present moment. I forget to focus on all the hard work that I have done to get me to where I am today. I’m pretty happy with the old rig I must say and the arms may or may not have been chiselled out of granite (I know, tickets much?) We all have great physical attributes; sometimes we just can’t see the forest from the trees.

 

Instead of letting your picture get you down, be proud. Show off who you are with pride. You might look like the way that you do but that doesn’t tell the story of who you are. Mothers, wear your stretch marks with pride as you are well entitled to do. Boys, I bet there are a few good yarns and stories in those beer bellies of yours as well. This photo reminds you of your past and you’re present so never forget where you came from. Your previous actions have led to the point to where you are right now. You have 24 hours in a day and your actions in those 24 hours will determine your position for the next day. If you are happy with the way you are then continue going through your everyday life. However, if you do not like what you see in that picture, you and you alone have the power to change your future. If you are looking at it half-glass empty, just take a step back and remember why you decided to take on personal training in the first place. We all started training and working out for our own personal and individual reasons but we can all agree on that we started because we were not completely happy with what we see in the photos. All it takes is focus on what you can do each day and let the good days outweigh the bad ones.

 

You don’t have to see the whole staircase right now, just take the first step.

 

Brad Carroll

4 U Body Fitness 

Mobile Personal Training Specialist