{"id":2862,"date":"2020-07-09T16:07:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T22:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-556875-3996516.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2862"},"modified":"2023-10-24T14:24:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T20:24:55","slug":"is-it-too-late-to-achieve-your-summer-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buckedup.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/09\/is-it-too-late-to-achieve-your-summer-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it too late to achieve your summer body?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article has been written for the benefit of anyone who needs a reality check with their current health and fitness goals- especially a summer body. It will be enlightening, entertaining, possibly educational, and most importantly, it will help you discover that no matter how thin, there\u2019s always a silver lining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it too late to get my summer body ready? <\/strong>Well, dear reader, I suppose that mostly depends on where you\u2019re at with your current body composition, and also what your summer body goals are. But yeah…chances are it is too late for a summer body. That being said, if your goal is a happy, healthy, and sustainable body (which is the better option), then I got you covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stick around and I\u2019ll provide you with some excellent tips to attain the summer body 2020 has tried to steal from you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Subjective Summer Body<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The great thing about fitness goals as ambiguous as attaining your summer body is that the term \u201csummer body\u201d is totally subjective. Whether you have a summer body or not is totally up to you! Try this practice with me. Go to your mirror, look in the reflection, tell that reflection; \u201cIt\u2019s summer, and you are my body, and as such I have achieved getting my summer body. I love you summer body, for being where you are at, for all you do for me, and for what we have achieved (and what we will achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are called positive affirmations. Give them a try. They mostly work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reticular Activation: Reason Behind Mind-Over-Matter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is due to a particularly interesting neural phenomenon known as reticular activation. The best way to explain reticular activation is via metaphor: unless your childhood was devoid of siblings you have more likely than not played the game Slugbug. It\u2019s where two kids who are sick of sitting in a car and can\u2019t ask their parents \u201care we there yet\u201d another time or their father will “Turn this damn car around.” So, they find another way to entertain themselves — and release pent up aggression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mechanics of the game are really quite simple. Anytime you would see a Volkswagen Beetle you would call out Slugbug! followed by its color. At which point you could slug (haymaker) your sibling.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, here\u2019s what\u2019s interesting; prior to initiating the game, neither sibling would have noticed any Beetles, but the moment the game started, suddenly these cars were popping up everywhere. It sounds like magic, right? Like the cosmos have aligned solely to support a sibling rivalry fueled game. But that\u2019s not actually what occurred. The increased appearances of the Bugs is due to, you guessed it, reticular activation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s how positive affirmations work. You tell yourself something is true enough times then you\u2019re able to start seeing those qualities (or flaws) become more readily apparent in your everyday life. Not just in how you view yourself, but in how others view you. It can even work toward shaping your results, both negatively and positively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about it, how many people have you known in your life who constantly tell themselves they can\u2019t gain muscle, can\u2019t burn fat, et cetera? Or who have been told such things from their friends and families during the majority of their life. This sort of internal (or external) feedback works on a loop. We (the self) hear the stories, our subconscious registers them, stores them, and cycles through them. We are literally prisoners of the stories we tell ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sounds bad, but good news. You are in control of what you tell yourself, and unless you\u2019re a minority living in America, you\u2019re even in control of what others in society tell you. You can tell yourself that your summer body is well on its way, that everything you do is correct, and that no pandemic will keep you from making sweet, sweet gainz — or shreds. Anyone who disagrees with you, well, you don\u2019t need that negative energy in your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, you might not believe yourself right away, but trust me, in time, you will. And the results will follow. I have experienced this firsthand. I used to be the person who always complained about biceps attachment and that his arms wouldn\u2019t grow. Surprise. They didn\u2019t. I have no idea when, but at some point I started telling myself that I have no genetic limitations and I can make any muscle group grow. Here\u2019s where it gets crazy. Without any illegal supplementation, and even without the gem supplement All Bulk No Bloat, I grew my arms an inch. In 12 months. I didn\u2019t do anything different. I simply changed my beliefs about what was possible, and suddenly, the heavens opened up, the god of gainz shined her glorious light, and bestowed upon me the gainz I once had thought impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out the Secret, and the Law of Attraction were (sort of but only to a very small degree) based on actual science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, so now that you know how reticular activation works and how you can really control your own definition of \u201csummer body,\u201d let\u2019s look at how to attain a happy, sustainable, and (of course) aesthetic physique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basics for Success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trust the process. A phrase that\u2019s undoubtedly popped up in your feed on more than one occasion, especially if you follow fitness competitors. Although there are issues with the phrase, (including but not limited to it\u2019s hackneyed, and beyond ambiguous), it can be useful. Just so long as you personalize it to; \u201cTrust your process, trust your instincts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educate yourself on the foundations of fat loss, health, athleticism, and muscle building, then follow such tips one at a time to find what you feel works best for you and your body. And when you\u2019re in doubt, go back to the basics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n