What is your Ideal body?
Is getting lean, having 6 pack abs and a tight butt, really worth the trade off or is being healthy, enough? You see, as your coach it is my mission to get you to the goals you want, so long as they enhance your health. I am not here to sell you on the idea of ‘Magazine Fitness’, I deal in truth.
Most want to sell you products and stuff, because they know customers will leave when they find out they’ve been duping them for money with inferior service, unrealistic programs or unnecessary products. I vehemently detest that sort of thinking. Looking like a fitness model or close to that good requires lots of hard work. There are trade-offs between training time, meal prep, life and having fun with friends, nights out etc. It just comes down to what you want most and how to balance it.
With the help of the folks at www.precisionnutrition.com, here are 6 steps to choose the body you want most. 2 are unhealthy and 4 are healthy. First, Figure out your Priorities. Next decide what you are willing to do and what will serve your priorities best. Next decide frequency and how often, how consistently and how precisely you are willing to do those things. Next decide what you are not willing to do, tradeoff or give up. Now you can make better decisions, leading to the body you really want, while living the life you really enjoy.
Do you want to be Unhealthy and Overweight?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: Greater than 20%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: Greater than 30%
• Do More: Eating of processed foods, Eat bigger portions, Eat quickly
• Do Less: Exercise of any kind, Eat fewer whole foods, Sleep less
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: None
• Benefits: Easy fallback for some folks, Does not require much thought or work
• Tradeoffs: Poor health, Low energy levels, Poorer life expectancy, Risk of metabolic syndrome, May need medications to manage various conditions
Do you want to be Healthy?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: 15 – 20%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: 25 – 30%
• Do More: Eat slowly until satisfied at 60% of your meals, Include 1 – 2 palms of protein dense foods in 1-2 meals a day, Include 1 – 2 fists of veggies in 1 -2 meals per day, Exercise 3 – 5x per week, any activity, any intensity
• Do Less: Eat fewer desserts and processed foods, Drink fewer caloric beverages
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: College aged athletes, Off-season bodybuilders, Olympic shot putters
• Benefits: Improved health and energy, Improved sleep, Exercise is easier and enjoyable
• Tradeoffs: Requires some thought and planning, You’ll look good but not super lean
Do you want to be Healthy and Lean?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: 13 – 15%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: 23 – 25%
• Do More: Eat slowly until satisfied at 75% of your meals, Include 1 – 2 palms of protein dense foods in 2 – 3 meals a day, Include 1 – 2 fists of veggies in 2 – 3 meals per day, Exercise 30 – 45 minutes daily – with 1 – 2 sessions breaking a sweat, Sleep at least 7 hours a night
• Do Less: Eat desserts/processed foods 3-5x per week – within reason, Drink up to 3-5 caloric beverages per week – but no more
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: Olympic canoe and kayak athletes, Pro Baseball players, Pro Softball players
• Benefits: Fairly easy to maintain, Energy will continue to improve, Improved sleep, Exercise is easier and enjoyable, May be able to reduce and or eliminate many medications
• Tradeoffs: Requires some thought, planning and may require minor social sacrifices (e.g. exercising instead of hanging out at the bar with friends), May require more effort and attention maintain this much sleep, May require increased food prep skills and effort
Do you want to be Healthy and Athletically Lean?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: 10 – 12%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: 20 – 22%
• Do More: Eat slowly until satisfied at 90% of your meals, Include 1 – 2 palms of protein dense foods in each meal, Include 1 – 2 fists of veggies in each meal, Include 1 – 2 thumbs of healthy fats at most meals and 1 – 2 cupped handfuls of quality carbs at meals surrounding exercise, Exercise 45 – 60 minutes daily – with 2-3 sessions breaking a sweat, Sleep at least 7 – 8 hours a night
• Do Less: Eat desserts/processed foods 1-2x per week – within reason, Drink up to 1-2 caloric beverages per week – but no more
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: Olympic swimmers, Pro hockey players, Olympic volleyball players
• Benefits: Fit appearance and good overall health, Fewer food cravings due to balanced diet and exercise regime, Relatively easy to maintain once practices become habitual Improved sleep, Exercise is easier and enjoyable, May be able to reduce and or eliminate many medications
• Tradeoffs: Requires more planning and attention to diet, Requires a greater time commitment for the more consistent exercise regime, May need assistance or coaching to achieve this level of consistency, will require minor social sacrifices (e.g. exercising instead of hanging out at the bar with friends), May require more effort and attention maintain this much sleep, Will require increased food prep skills and effort
Do you want to be Healthy and Super Lean?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: 6 – 9%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: 16 – 19%
• Do More: Eat slowly until satisfied at 95% of your meals, Include 1 – 2 palms of protein dense foods in each meal, Include 1 – 2 fists of fibrous veggies in each meal, Include 1 – 2 thumbs of healthy fats at each meal, Eat 1 – 2 cupped handfuls of quality carbs at meals surrounding exercise, Exercise 60 – 75 minutes daily – with 3-4 sessions breaking a sweat, Sleep at least 8 hours a night
• Do Less: Limit carbs to post workout, Eat desserts/processed foods once every 1-2 weeks – within reason, Drink a caloric beverage once every 1-2 weeks
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: Olympic boxers & wrestlers, Olympic Sprinters, Olympic Gymnasts
• Benefits: Will probably look extremely lean and possibly defined abs, Overall health will be good due to carefully balanced diet and exercise regime, Will likely have high work capacity and good stamina
• Tradeoffs: May struggle in social situations especially those involving food, May not have time for social opportunities outside of exercise, May have to give up other hobbies and interests outside of fitness, Will need assistance or coaching to achieve this level of consistency, Will require more effort and attention maintain this much sleep, Will require increased food prep skills and effort
Do you want to be Unhealthy and Extremely Lean?
• Body Fat for Men to maintain: Less than 6%
• Body Fat for Women to maintain: Less than 16%
• Do More: Eat slowly until satisfied at 99.9% of meals, Incorporate calorie/carb cycling, Follow meal plan with predetermined foods and amounts and measure foods specifically, Include exact amounts of lean proteins, fibrous veggies and healthy fats in each meal, Exercise 45-75 minutes twice daily and with 6-7 sessions breaking a sweat, Sleep at least 9 hours per night
• Do Less: Limit carbs to post workout or designated higher carb days, Eat desserts/processed foods once every 10-12 weeks, Avoid caloric beverages
• Athletes at this Body Fat %: Elite bodybuilders on contest day, Fitness models the day of a photo shoot
• Benefits: May feel pride at achieving an athletic goal
• Tradeoffs: Will have difficulty socializing in most typical situations where food is involved, May miss out on fun events with family and friends, Big time commitment to measure weigh and track all foods, Hyper focus on diet and exercise may contribute to disordered eating, Time required for exercise may crowd out all other pursuits or interests
So there you have it friends, a solid blueprint to get the body you’ve always wanted!
Please comment below and let us know what your ideal body is and the plan you are choosing to use!