Do You Like How You Look When You’re Naked?

It’s a simple question really. Either you like how you look or you don’t like how you look. There is no in between answer.

Or is there?

I mean for myself personally there are days when I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and feel pretty damn good about my body. But then there are other days when I wake up and have a look at myself and want to throw up (not literally).

I guess the better and more politically correct question would be if whether you feel good about yourself and your body when you are naked?

Unfortunately any way you put it, these are both loaded questions. If you say you don’t like how you look and how you feel when you’re naked, then you come off as being insecure. If you say that you do like how you look and how you feel when you’re naked, then you come off as being conceited. You really can’t win here.

Or can you?

GET NAKED!

It took me years to feel comfortable living in my own body. Growing up as a child, I was constantly being made fun of for being overweight. As an adolescent teenager, I was constantly made fun of for being too skinny. As a competitive bodybuilder, I was constantly criticized about anything and everything on my physique by the judging panel and other bodybuilders around me.

As a Personal Trainer/Online Coach, I do feel pressured at times to maintain a certain image with how I portray my physique. I mean who the hell is going to hire someone who is scrawny and/or has a giant beer belly to teach them how to lose fat and build muscle? I know, I know, it’s on the inside that counts. That’s all nice and good to say, but the reality is that nobody is lining up to work with some lazy ass Trainer who quite obviously does not practice what he or she preaches.

With that said, I can honestly say that even though I do feel pressured at times to remain in fairly decent shape year round, I quite enjoy the process in which it takes to maintain a healthy and strong looking physique. I never dread my workouts and I never feel as if I’m depriving myself when it comes to my diet. I feel as if I’ve truly mastered incorporating health and fitness into my lifestyle for so long now, that these days it just feels like exercising and eating healthy is part of my daily routine.

Health & Aesthetics

Ask any of my clients that work with me either on the floor or online, and they themselves will tell you that I specialize in focusing on two extremely important components when it comes to improving the quality of their own lives. And those two components are health and aesthetics. Your health is without a doubt the most important part of your life. You can have all the money, status and power in the world, but if you don’t have your health, then really what’s the point? However I also feel that it’s just as important, both mentally and physically, to feel good about not just our health, but also about how we look at perceive ourselves.

I work with hundreds of clients. And let me tell you that I can tell the difference when I speak with someone who is happy and confident with their appearance verses someone who is not. The people who feel good about themselves tend to feel good about life in general. They are more ambitious, more driven and more energized to tackle any and all obstacles that come their way. As a result, these people also seem to be much more happy and content with the relationships that they build and friendships that they have.

So yes, ofcourse it’s important to feel healthy and be fit. But I also think it’s important to feel good about how you look regardless if you are wearing clothes or not.

Naked Is Normal

We all know that being naked is normal. It is after all, how we were all created. And although it’s more socially acceptable to wear clothing in public, then walk around naked, we shouldn’t feel ashamed about our bodies.

I think one of the main reasons as to why I’ve been able to last so long in this industry is because I can relate to my clients. I too have struggled with my weight – both taking it off and putting it on. I too have felt pressured by society (and social media!) too look and appear a certain way. And as a result, I too have suffered from severe body dysmorphia.

But in my opinion the very best way to start feeling good about how we look and how we feel is to make a positive change in our own lives. And again, in my opinion the best way to do this is through following a healthy diet and exercising on a regular basis.

Remember, extreme dieting and focusing purely on only losing weight, means you will look good in clothes. But exercising and eating healthy means you will look good naked.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance