Are You Ready For A Physical Transformation?

Many people aspire to change their appearance through diet and exercise, but the intention can sometimes be misplaced.  You see, not everyone has what it takes to succeed at such an endeavor  The most important thing you have to embrace before embarking on a body transformation is your readiness for change.

I’ve always loved the popular 80’s slogan “You’ve got to want it!”  Although it was used to sell supplements, it really rings true for most things in life that are worth having. The problem is, it’s not enough to just want it. If you’re not ready to do the work necessary to accomplish your goals then improvements in your body composition, health and physical performance will continue to elude you.

I’m now going to offer a checklist of attributes that you must possess before you attempt to make real, sustainable changes in your body. If you meet these criteria, then you may just be a candidate for a physical transformation.

You should attempt a physical transformation ONLY if . . . . . .

1. You are willing to do at least five hours of physical activity each week.
2. You can accept responsibility for the way your body is today and understand that, while your old habits don’t make you a bad person,they still need to be changed.
3. You are ready to spend less time with people who offer little or no social support for your goals while spending more time with those who do offer support.
4. Your work environment presents significant barriers to you exercising and eating well, and you would consider speaking to your employer about changing some of these conditions or you are  willing to find new employment.
5. You are presented with information on diet and exercise that contradicts what you currently believe, you’d maintain an open mind and give it a try.
6. You have accepted the fact that you’re in worse shape now than when you were younger because you are far less active than you used to be.
7. You can accept that your workouts, at times, will be hard and that you will need to tolerate high levels of discomfort.
8. You often look in the mirror and feel frustrated, upset,or humiliated because of how your body looks.
9. You are currently taking medications for heart disease, high blood pressure, or Type II diabetes that you didn’t have to take when you were younger.
10. You are willing to join a gym or take part in a sport or challenging activity today.
11. You had to throw away all the foods in your cupboards today and go shopping for different foods that are more appropriate to your goal, you would do it.
12. You are willing to wake up in the morning a bit earlier and stay up at night a bit later to accomplish your goals if needed.
13. You are prepared to make a detailed log of the foods you eat, chronicling how much you ate and when.

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Congratulations if you agree that you can adopt most of these habits. You clearly have things on track and the right mindset for success. You’ve either realized your body’s potential or are on the road to a successful physical transformation. Way to go!  If you can agree to most or all of these terms with the utmost honesty, then you are ready to begin your journey.

If most honestly can see yourself  making these types of changes, then you’ve got a tough road ahead. In fact, it doesn’t look like you really want to change at all. Is this true? Are you simply toying with the idea of improving your physical activity habits and eating habits? If so, you’re not really ready to make a change.

With each passing year that you avoid good activity and nutrition habits your risk for disease increases. Not only that, you’ll progressively gain fat, lose muscle, and look much older than your actual age. These are the consequences of remaining indifferent to the weight you’ve gained, physical inactivity and bad eating habits. Are you ready to deal with these things? Don’t stay indifferent any longer. Take an honest look at how you’ve changed (on the inside and out) and admit that you could use a tune-up.

If this sounds like you, step outside of your shell and seek out some people who are exercising, eating well, getting results, and having fun doing it. Clearly, millions of people out there are following a healthy lifestyle and loving every minute of it. But thinking that they never had the same difficulties as you to overcome, is a mistake.  We all face challenges and anyone who has succeeded at transforming their body, has steadily replaced good habits with unproductive bad ones  before getting any serious results. And you can, too.

What are you waiting for?