My body is built differently.

Do you find yourself saying this? Does it make you want to give up, or not even try in the first place?

Let me tell you the truth: having a large frame, a slow metabolism, or other innate factors are seldom valid reasons to ignore eating right and exercising regularly.

Genes do play a role, but how you choose to live your life is the most important factor of all. Nearly everyone who lives an unhealthy life actually has the key to his or her own well-being. If you learn how to listen to the signals your body sends out, it will tell you what it needs. The biggest hindrance is often oneself, not one’s genetic predispositions.

What is needed, and what is most difficult and takes time, is conscious engagement and hard work.

It also helps to be realistic, and to learn to like yourself just as you are. For example, if you have a body that is short-limbed and muscular, and you strive for Uma Thurman’s figure, you are setting yourself up for disappointment, since you don’t have the same fundamental body type as the slender actress.

The key to inner harmony and reduced stress is to start from your own body’s inherent characteristics and to strive to live as wholesome a life as possible.

Want the lowdown on fitness myths, plus a realistic plan for developing life-long health habits? Check out my e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.

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