Want to feel more confident about the way you look? A new breed of fitness programmes is set to overhaul your body image!
Here’s something to think about: why do you work out? You already know that regular activity is good for cardiovascular fitness and maintaining a healthy weight. But data shows that people also exercise to feel good about their bodies. And, in the short term, it works – a 2017 study reports that just one, 30-minute workout could immediately improve a woman’s body image by making her feel stronger and leaner, and the positive effects last after exercise, too. ‘We focus on improvements to body composition – fat loss, strength gains and so on – but often ignore the importance of how a person perceives their body to be during exercise,’ says Luke Hughes, managing director at Ori Gym (origympersonaltrainercourses.co.uk). ‘In fact, due to the release of the happy hormone serotonin, which makes us feel good, consistent training can literally improve how a person views themselves in the mirror.’
A new breed of fitness programmes is set to overhaul your body image! Photo Gallery
INNER STRUGGLE
Trouble is, the body positive boost may not last. Hughes agrees: ‘Many people struggle with the gym environment – they might feel intimidated or inexperienced compared to avid gym-goers – and this can cause a planned routine to falter.’ The net result is you fall off the workout wagon and your confidence takes a knock. Sometimes, a negative body image can stop you from stepping foot in the gym in the first place – data from Zoggs reveals that 43 per cent of women have avoided the gym or pool in the last year due to a lack of body confidence. Even if you do make it to the end of your workout plan, you may not feel the body boost that you wer e after. Lucy Mecklenburgh, Results with Lucy co-founder (@lucymeck1), knows that mor e results don’ t always equal mor e confidence. ‘To date, we have helped hundreds of thousands of women become stronger, fitter and healthier, but it became apparent something was missing from what we offered,’ she says. ‘Many women wer e reaching their fitness goals but still feeling low with little-to-no selfconfidence. We get hundreds of emails and calls every week from women reaching out for help because they hate themselves and their bodies.’
FEELIN G GOOD
Cor e circuits for flat tummies. Heavy lifts for toned shoulders. Endless squat jumps for lean legs. Most of us will try anything in the pursuit of body perfect. The one thing we’r e missing is a little self-care. This doesn’ t mean clocking mor e minutes in the gym; it involves redefining what exercise means to you. Enter the latest bodyconfidence workout programmes. These fitness plans have a healthy outlook. Ther e aren’ t impossible weightloss goals or exercise targets; the focus is on exercising to feel good and, crucially, putting your health and happiness first. ‘Nobody is going to stick to a fitness plan that they don’ t actively enjoy,’ adds Hughes. ‘So the first thing to do is to choose exercises you like.’ Body-confidence workout programmes do just that and more. In order to recondition the way you think about your body, the focus is on holistic training and achievable exercises that will strengthen body, mind and soul. Sound good? Here’ s our pick of the best programmes around. Give them a go.
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