Ever feel like you wish you had someone else’s body type? Is the body you want always just out of reach? Like no matter what you do, you’ll never quite be slim, strong or fit enough? If this is true, try to not be so hard on yourself.
It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others and it is only natural to want what we don’t have. But comparing ourselves to others is harmful to our happiness, our success and isn’t healthy or useful most of the time.
Making body comparisons can be a sure way to bust a positive body image and your self confidence. It can even potentially slow down your growth and progress. Even worse, it may make you want to throw the towel in too early and not even try to unlock your true potential.
A person’s body type depends on the distribution of muscle mass and fat. Some people are built long and lean, while others are built curvier. It is common for some people to feel pressure around the concept of the ideal body shape or type, but ultimately there is no ideal body shape.
Health is the most important factor. Being hard on ourselves kills motivation and decreases goal completion. Keep your goals on the forefront of your mind, work hard and don’t let other people’s achievements intimidate you.
Take a moment and think to yourself, “what’s holding me back from getting into the best shape I can”? Where are areas in your week you can improve to get you closer to the body type you want? What are the steps you need to take to go from just wanting a better body to really taking action to get that body you want?
Healthy and strong bodies come with strict eating habits and consistent training. That person you compare yourself to had to do the hard work to get themselves in that body. You realize nothing happens overnight, right? It’s easy to compare yourself to all the people you see on social media. It’s rare that anyone posts pictures of their bad workout, failed skill attempt, bad food choices or a super low day when they just didn’t feel like doing anything.
The truth is that we don’t usually see behind the scenes and we don’t really know what those people’s lives actually look like. What struggles they go through. The times they wanted to give up. Maybe instead of comparing yourself, try to live everyday the best you can. With small changes in your day, you will be surprised how close you will get to achieve your goals for your body.
Here are the three different body types. Determine what body type you have and work with that to get in your best body shape:
- Ectomorph: This is when the body is lean and slender and tends to have less body fat and muscle. People with this body type can often find it challenging to gain weight in the form of muscle or fat.
- Endomorph: This is when the body has more stored fat, lots of muscle and gains weight easily. People with this body type are not always overweight.
- Mesomorph: This is when the body is athletic and strong. People with this body type are either overweight or underweight.
I hope this has helped you see that you can have a great body type, you just need to know how you are built and what body type you have to get there. Try to stop comparing yourself to others and start putting that energy in yourself and find the drive and desirer to make those changes!
Ashley LaMorte is a nationally certified fitness instructor and has been in the fitness industry close to a decade. Over the years she has gotten the opportunity to instruct group X boot camps at gyms and train private clients from all walks of life, all over the Bay Area. She now has her own mobile fitness business LaMorte Lift. Learn more at LaMorteLift.com.
