Skinny Fat, Sickly Skinny, Lean, Muscular, Bulky or Fat?

The confusion a majority of people have is that skinny means the same thing as lean, muscular means the same thing as bulky and fat is politely "chubby" or just simply fat. The problem with that is every single one is different and there are many body types in the world. No 2 people have the same one, however, people do share the same descriptions when one is lean, skinny, sickly skinny, fat, muscular or bulky. Lots of people are all of these but actually knowing what category they fall into is not addressed enough. When I was a child, the only category I fell under was chubby, or fat. I knew nothing more & was under the impression I'd be that way forever. Little did I know or learn as a child is that I could change that with the decision to change my eating, start working out & become aware of how to keep it up.

The picture above shows 2 different females, both of the same size 2. The female on the left is what you call Skinny Fat. The female on the right is what you call Lean. So how does that work? Because in most people's minds, they wouldn't have any problems looking like the woman on the left. The misconception is that she is skinny and that is it, when in reality, if you were to give her a body fat test, her results would deem her fat. That simply means for her body type, she has more fat than muscle. The woman on the right is lean. Women the same size as her are usually treading away on the cardio machines every single day trying to unveil the muscle she's toting. The problem with that is unless they add weights and a clean meal plan to the equation, nothing is going to change. Mass amounts of cardio with no weights keeps you skinny fat because all the cardio does is eat the muscle and reverts it to fat. 

 This is in gyms everywhere. The picture of ALL women running and cycling their way into what they believe will reveal the muscle tone they are looking for. Don't get me wrong, some do cardio everyday for endurance because  everyone has different goals. But even so, those people should pick up weight training at least 2-3 days a week to keep the very important energy source in their body, muscle. Our bodies use our muscle for energy everyday and once you're depleted of glycogen, the body will resort to the muscle and begin to consume it just to stay functioning. Carbohydrates aid in giving us the glycogen we need so the body doesn't eat the muscle, however, many are consuming the wrong kind and wrong amounts of carbohydrates. Endurance athletes, after a long drawn out cardio session, generally fuel up on carbohydrates because they notice and feel depletion of glycogen which carbohydrates provide. 

Weights are important to any training routine. The misconception here is that first, a lot of women believe that only men are to lift weights and second, weights will make you bulky. FAR FROM TRUE! Every person in the world has muscle. Every person in the world should fight to maintain it. FAT is bulky and muscle can look bulky too, but women who lift heavy weights do NOT GET BULKY without a meal plan that will get them to that point. Which would mean consuming more calories than you burn on a daily basis and following a very intense weight routine. I lift heavy ass weights. I love them but I am not bulky because my meal plan is created to keep me leaned out. For those of you who wonder what it is to lean out, its simply shredding fat on the body to unveil the muscle tone being built underneath. This picture below is exactly what women believe will happen when they lift any size of weight:

This woman above is a competitor in Bodybuilding. Her meal and workout routine is extreme and she must consume thousands of calories just to keep building this muscle mass and look like this. You don't see an ounce of fat on her, but she has built a ton of lean mass by following her plan to a T for years. This will NOT happen to you women when you lift weights. What will happen (granted you follow a clean meal plan with fewer calories than you burn) if you lift weights, is the picture below:

This woman is what you call LEAN. She is not "Bulky" she is not "Skinny". She is LEAN. There is a huge difference. You can tell she doesn't have a lot of body fat, she is still small but her muscle structure is beautifully crafted and visible, not extreme like the woman above where you can see almost EVERY muscle fiber in the body. This woman is more than likely correcting society on a daily basis when they call her "skinny". Skinny is small, yes, but skinny implies no muscle tone. I'm told a lot that I am skinny and I am constantly correcting it because I know I'm not. I am lean. During my building phase, I'm still told I'm skinny although I have to put healthy fat back on and don't personally feel I'm lean but people still get it wrong and call me skinny. 

When I picture skinny, I think "runway model". A majority of these men and women are not just skinny, they are SICKLY skinny. This body type is nothing at all to strive for. It is bony, unhealthy and absolutely disgusting in my opinion. When it comes to caring for the human body, this is NOT the example to use. These men and women have been guided to believe in order to look good or be small, they need to be skeleton like. Its the worst kind of skinny one can be and it sets the worst example for kids, teenagers, women and men of all ages who think that to be accepted or feel good, this is how they need to look:

        

Unattractive, unhappy, unhealthy and underfed is the definition here. The body is sick, craving energy, proper nutrition, hydration and all the vitamins, enzymes and minerals its depleted of. 

Skinny Fat, Sickly Skinny, Skinny, Lean, Muscular, Bulky or Fat

Whether you're male or female, we all fall under one of these categories. We cannot correct society for good, but what we can do is correct ourselves and be acutely aware of who we are and how healthy or unhealthy we want to be. Its a personal choice to make. Do not let society guide you into believing you NEED to look a certain way to be accepted. I choose happy and healthy. Whether I'm building lean mass and putting some healthy fat on or depleting fat and getting lean, I will always choose to be healthy in my approach to health and fitness making sure I add all aspects of it to my daily life. 

I'm Ashley :)

Trained or Untrained?

There is a certain level a person believes is the stopping point when it comes to achieving something great. Doesn't matter what it is, they tend to believe they aren't capable of achieving things other people have achieved. They set limits or boundaries for themselves and begin to mentally talk themselves out of achieving what they truly want. This is the point where that person needs some encouragement and mental training to see that anything they want to do or achieve is absolutely possible. 

We are all trained in the brain by our surrounding environments, people we've encountered, things we've seen and learned and places we've gone. We pick up bits of information and store it in our minds forever. More likely than not, we tend to forget a majority of what we learn, see, hear or speak due to overwhelming environments that distract our focus from the information we retain on a daily basis. Our focus is deterred by busy schedules, kids, jobs, friends, family, etc. etc. Here is where we have a choice, and here is where people would rather just stay where they are. DISCOURAGEMENT. 

The attitude of someone who has their own self doubts will ultimately play a role. Someone whose attitude severely sucks and someone who will do anything in their mental power to talk another out of something that person truly desires to do. These people are life suckers. They are the negative influence we all know and to the very core of us somehow find it difficult to release them. Some people find comfort in having another person who will discourage them from anything they want to do because its almost a 'permission slip' if you will, to continue to be 'average' and do nothing. Its a comfort in knowing "hey, I don't have to push myself to become great. It takes too much discipline and hard work." Where is the ethic in that? Where is this all coming from when just a few minutes ago, before the negative influence invaded you, there was a desire to do something wonderful with your life? This is one of the most important things you need to recognize and take note of mentally. These people can't see themselves doing something amazing so they suck the idea right our of you to keep you from being more successful than they are. These people are miserable; and misery LOVES company. Especially if they can keep you at their level forever. 

"There's no such thing as tough. There's TRAINED and there's UNTRAINED. Now which one are you?" -Denzel Washington, Man On Fire-

The quote above is one of my all time favorite quotes. This is a mental set people need to have. Are you trained or untrained? Sure someone can be tough. We can lift heavy things, make it through a marathon, live through emotional breakdowns or the death of loved ones, but what does it really come down to? Is that really considered TOUGH? Or is it because we've been TRAINED how to do these things or make it through any circumstance or event? If you answered TRAINED, you're right. These 2 words are completely different. The meaning of trained is shaped or disciplined, conditioned or skilled. The meaning of tough is to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking. These comparative words are similar, but actually mean 2 completely different things. When you think of trained, you might think about how people train animals or how a person is trained for a sport, job, survival, etc. When tough comes to mind, you may think strong, steel, unbreakable, etc. 

Repetitive actions produce a trained mind. Habit, is said to take 21 days to develop. A trained mind takes a lifetime of continual educational training and application everyday to become what we desire to become. Its skill, its determination, knowledge, action.... its mental set! Its what you decide for yourself to become. Its when you take those life suckers and with a swift kick in the ass boot 'em out of your life. Its when you take control of your life and begin a new journey that you believed was out of reach for "someone like you". 

We are all human. Well known or not, we all have the capability to do what we set our minds to. All it takes is training the mind and getting yourself equipped with the knowledge that helps you put that training into action. Knowledge is power when applied. Use it. We are UNLIMITED.