Military muscle is so in vogue right now it's almost illegal.
Just in case you blokes haven't noticed, there's a new man-look in town. It snuck up on us when we were all still coveting the corrugated mid-sections of male models on gay-magazine covers. We've woken to find inspiration infiltration is complete and we're surrounded by it.
I'm talking about the soldier look. Military muscle is so in vogue right now it's almost illegal. Back in the '70s and '80s, bodybuilders cornered the "phwoarrr!" market. Then came the sleek-torsoed Olympic swimmers, before the broad-shouldered and slim-hipped gay boys taunted us, tugging the front of their jeans provocatively low with their thumbs through the belt loops.
But those trends have now been sidelined by the military look - the combat-ready, sinewy physique that looks so overtly functional. Think built-for-battle Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, who has single-handedly flushed army recruitment lines with young men and women inspired by his Victoria Cross, or Steve "Commando" Willis, who works with me on The Biggest Loser - no beach bodies or disco muscles there.
These kinds of physiques are a reflection of the intense, combat style of fitness found in CrossFit gyms, backyards, junkyards and hard yards all over Australia. (For the uninitiated, CrossFit is a functional core and conditioning program that mixes Olympic-style weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics and combat disciplines.) And it's not just men. My 34-year-old, 52-kilogram girlfriend regularly gets down and dirty in her local CrossFit gym, mixing it with the boys - with wicked results.
But herein lies the trap. It is one thing to be inspired, but it's another to aspire. Inspiration is rewarding. Aspiration, on the other hand, can be destructive. Those of us whose parents aren't genetic freaks have to contend with our everyday bodies, and unless we accept our bodies, we could be setting ourselves up for misery and frustration.
There's power in acceptance. Wrestling with stuff that you can't change is exhausting. I insist that my clients meticulously separate inspiration from aspiration. It's good to be inspired by outrageous physiques that are the genuine result of clean living, good nutrition and consistent exercise.
But aspiring to look a certain way needs to be tempered with a big cup of reality with two heaped teaspoons of acceptance.
Michelle's Tip
If you hear yourself saying, "I want to look like him/her", alarm bells should be ringing. Most of us never will. But don't let that stand in the way of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consistent exercise regimen.
Direct your energy towards clean living, great nutrition and consistent, stimulating exercise regimes, whatever they may be.
From: Sunday Life
