JUST YOUR TYPE IS REALLY ABOUT WORKING SMARTER, NOT necessarily harder, and taking full possession of your body as you strive to help it become the best version of itself possible. Once you’re happy with your body-fat level and your new eating habits, you can modify the program somewhat and fine-tune it so that it works optimally for you. After all, I want you to own this program and view it as your new normal, not some fad regimen that gets ditched or fades away. So, don’t be afraid to switch up the order of your strength-training moves, lift more weight with fewer reps (or vice versa), or choose different cardio workouts to challenge yourself in new ways while staying true to the spirit of the body-type principles that are right for you. Small changes like these will help you reignite muscle growth and keep your workouts feeling fresh. With this kind of flexibility, it won’t feel like you’re doing the same workout day after day, which can start to feel monotonous. Keep giving yourself choices.
To keep things feeling fresh, it also can help to find a workout buddy who’s on a similar fitness level or similarly motivated. Even if you have different body types, you can work out together, coach each other, and cheer each other on. If you’re new to a particular gym, you might want to look for a fitness mentor there, someone you can ask for helpful tips or strategies when your own motivation starts to wane. You don’t have to do this alone!
It also helps to set your sights on new goals—perhaps an anniversary goal six months or a year into your body-type-enhancing program. Now that you’ve started to develop greater body confidence, consider what you’d like to do with it. Maybe it’s trying something new (like rock climbing, boxing, hip-hop dancing, aerial yoga, or a boot-camp-style workout) that you didn’t have the guts to do in the past. Or maybe you want to compete in a half-marathon or triathlon or a Tough Mudder race. Perhaps you’d like to take an adventure vacation (like trekking in Nepal, glacier hiking in Iceland, cycling through Tuscany, or sailing in the Greek Islands). It’s your choice. There’s no need to share your next-level goal with anyone if you don’t want to; simply whisper it to yourself or write it down in a journal. Remind yourself of it when you need an infusion of inspiration.
Above all, try to remember that this really is about you; so make a concerted effort to understand what makes your body feel strong and comfortable and how you can challenge it smartly. Don’t go rogue and just grab a move or a workout you see someone else doing in the gym without understanding the foundation that particular person has built for doing it and why it’s appropriate for him or her. I see this mistake being played out again and again at the gym—and it’s problematic because your fitness foundation and needs may be quite different, which means that ripping off someone else’s regimen could cause you to hurt yourself, burn out, or lead to muscle imbalances. Also, don’t become a diet or workout surfer: it’s fine to mix things up now and then (just like you do with your wardrobe on casual Fridays), but most of the time you should be sticking with the same good-for-you habits—the ones your body responds to best. Your body needs and thrives on consistency—it’s really that simple.
In my experience, consistency with training and structure around meals are two of the most important ingredients for achieving body transformation. (The others are focus, determination, perseverance, and enthusiasm.) Without these supporting players, it will be much harder for you to reach your fitness goals. Even once you’ve achieved your strongest, fittest body, don’t throw away those key ingredients—hold onto them!—so you can maintain your newly impressive physique. People who prioritize their health do the best at transforming their bodies. That means you need to plan for health-related activities, just like you would an important business meeting. Schedule it on your calendar, and make it a sacred appointment with yourself. Continue to set new objectives for yourself, whether it’s to run faster, climb higher, or hoist more weight. And continue to ask yourself why these new goals matter to you so that you can infuse them with intrinsic motivation and meaning (or purpose). Also, be sure to treat your body right by getting enough sleep and taking time for relaxation and stress-management measures to help your body and mind restore and rejuvenate themselves.
One of the welcome side effects of a body-type approach to improving your health and fitness level is that you’ll stop judging your body and start embracing it, which has positive consequences in terms of how you treat it, talk about it, and think about it. After a workout or a particularly difficult set, get in the habit of giving yourself a head nod in the mirror, a visual high-five that signals approval. When you continuously notice fairly dramatic results from your training, the conversation in your head will change and you’ll come to feel differently about your body. Maybe you’ve even begun to discover new facets of what your body can do and found ways to maximize your physique’s strength and power in everyday life. That’s as it should be, because this is the only body you’re ever going to have so it’s in your best interest to treat it and think about it positively and to show it some love on a daily basis.
Ultimately, think of this program as an investment in fulfilling your fitness potential and extending the quality of your life well into the future. By challenging your body and fueling it properly, you really can create a positive ripple effect of feel-good perks. In the process of working to strengthen your body and your mind, you have embarked on a journey of self-discovery, one that has undoubtedly started to broaden the way you view yourself, not just in the mirror but in your mind’s eye as well. As you gain greater self-confidence and a more defined vision of yourself, you’ll develop a stronger sense of ownership in your body, and that will help you feel empowered to make better choices for yourself.
Take pride in the new version of yourself that you’re becoming, and you’ll move through the world with greater ease and your comfort zone will broaden in nearly every aspect of your life. Besides enhancing your health and energy, you’ll ramp up the pleasure you get from looking, feeling, and functioning at your absolute best. That’s just about the greatest gift you could give yourself because it doesn’t stop giving. Not. Ever.