WEEK NINE :: How Can You Convince Your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child To Get In Shape?

[admin]

TOPIC: How Can You Convince Your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child To Get In Shape?

For the week of: December 10th - December 17th.

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Bodybuilding and being healthy is very important to you. You can't imagine why anybody would not want to live this way. Unfortunately, your loved one does not feel the same way. The complain about their looks, they are eating in a way that will cause long term health problems, and they just can't ever seem to make it to the gym.

How can you convince them to REALLY try to get in shape? How can you do this without making them upset, making them feel bad about themselves, or "nagging" them constantly.

Share your success stories if you have done this before!

BONUS QUESTIONS:

1. What made you first start working out? When was it? Have you always cared about being in shape and being healthy? If not, what convinced YOU to start caring about it?

2. Do you have any loved ones that NEED to work out/eat right but don't and may be headed for health problems? How does that make you feel? Have you told them? What was their response?

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $50 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it.

Thanks!
Bodybuilding.com

[Grand_Master]

Take them to a body building contest, with teens, masters, figures all the classes. Have them talk to people in the show in there age group or gender. Most people I meet a contest's like to talk and are very friendly. My wife is now going to do her first show at 47 years young, by talking to a 72 year old lady who competes. She teaches yoga and is a personnel trainer. Bodybuilding is a sport for all ages and gender. You are never too old.

I started working out because of arthritis in my back. I played semi pro football for 2 years and ruin myself. I have a fake ankle and a destroyed back. You could never tell by looking at me know. I am 50 years old and in the best shape of my life. Bodybuilding is my life saver and drug of choice.

My wife has R.A. Rumitoid Arthritis and she has Asthma. She is now working out and getting ready for her first figure's show this summer. Like I said before take your love ones to a NPC sanctioned show and meet people. Bodybuilders on the most part are really nice people and are always willing to tell thier story. All bodybuilders are a winner no matter if you are a beginer or a Pro, bodybuilding is a way of life.

[Dj Zetsu]

-If your spouse is not in shape and you are worried about her personal health then here is a solution for you. Get a pass for your spouse and for yourself to a gym and to a spa after the gym to just relax and get a nice massage for your muscles. Your spouse will not like the gym idea, but dont worry she will love the spa idea where she can get a massage after a long days work. It might take a week for her to adjust and get used to going to the gym, but im sure it took all of us time to adjust and get used to going to the gym when we started out. Ok here is how you tell your spouse about the gym and the spa that you already payed for to go to. At the dinner table while you and your spouse are enjoying the christmas meal start out by saying something like i think we need to spend some time togeather so i got the both of us tickets to the gym and to a spa. Or you can just put it under the christmas tree and write a note saying something like i think we need to spend some time togeather so i got the both of us tickets to the gym and to a spa.
-Its just in time for the holidays too. Thats two seasons beffore summer just enough time to get in perfect shape.


-I was 16 when i started going to the gym and my primary reasons were to get big and to get cut.

[TheNextArnie87]

How Can You Convince Your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child To Get In Shape?;

I believe a perfect way to do this without causing any unwanted feelings between yourself and the person in question is to express your views on staying in shape honestly and straight forward. Explain how staying in shape has benefitted your life, and also mention some of the downsides of training. Be realistic - dont act like training is the greatest thing in the world, because once your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child begin training and are not yet as dedicated as yourself, this may cause them to feel dissapointed due to the immediate hype. Mention what benefits staying in shape may have on their life; increased self confidence, longer life due to healthier living, etc.

On many occasions I have helped overweight friends and relatives with getting into shape. I do this by being honest with them about the up- as well as down-sides of training. I have explained how weight training and healthy nutrition had helped me in life and how it could very possibly help to improve their life, while also mentioning that it is hard work and does take time. Most people that took the time to listen to what I have said continued to train and shed many pounds. Unfortunatelly there are always those who wont take advice on their life, almost as though they are in denial.

------------Bonus Questions----------------

1) I have not always been concerned about being healthy, quite the opposite actually - I couldnt care less. Originally I began training because of a posture problem i had developed over my early childhood. I saw this was a problem and knew i had to act on it. Weight training had helped strengthen my back and help to improve my posture (my back is my strongest point at this moment ) I first began training at age 15. As I progressed with my training my knowledge of the sport has significantly increased, and am always wanting to learn more.

[Caspa]

EDUCATION IS THE KEY

Most of the people that tend to complain about how they look, never really have a clue. They don’t know the difference between a burger from McDonalds for dinner and a restaurant meal consisting of a steak and baked potato. Even though the persons favourite meal may be a steak and backed potato, they will always chose McDonalds. Why is this? This is simply because the person always see’s the McDonalds as the most convenient, after all it is fast food. They also see the McDonalds being the cheapest, even though it’s probably not, and even if it is, it’ll only be by a minimum margin. McDonalds is also bar far the most trustworthy. I mean every time you walk into a McDonalds you know what you get is always going to be the same as the last one you had, take the same amount of time to order, and the same amount of time to be delivered, in most cases.

Whilst at a restaurant it’s foreign ground, especially for the younger ones of us. I mean when was the last time you went to a McDonalds and was ignored by the staff to take your order. This has never happened to me… but this HAS happened to me in a restaurant. I go in, sit down, and wait while the waiters ask everyone for there orders before they do me, even they most the people were shown to their tables 10 minutes after I was.

This is one of the main reasons why people chose to ignore there diet, because most of these factors are also the same for choosing chocolate over tins of tuna. Whilst your out chocolate seems the best options for a quick snake, these people have never heard of a nutra-grain, and even if they have it’s something they’ve possibly never tried and have already persuaded themselves they’re no good, a waste of money and taste like crap, I mean it must do, it’s good for you! This is what most of these people have told themselves… if it’s good for you like vegetables, it couldn‘t possibly taste good.

This is one of the main reasons why people eat as they feel, simply because they’re uneducated on this subject and to them, proteins and carbohydrates mean nothing but ingredients that’s in foods, damn, some don’t even know that much. To them understanding the subject seems like reading Latin, and we all know how hard that is to understand.

For these people to get educated on the subject is for them to put in hard work into a subject they’re not even slightly interested in, to them this spells BORING!

Now onto the word ‘DIET’.. most people out of shape as soon as they hear the word diet they instantly associate it with boring salad meals and starving yourself in an attempt to drop the pounds. Most of these people who see the meaning of diet like this never tend to get any good results from it at all. Here are a few factors why…

#1. They cheat in there diets to often.

#2. They don’t cheat at all and in the end give into all temptation and quit all together because they forgot how good eating chocolate was .

#3. They eat salads constantly even before BED!

#4. They don’t eat regularly enough and starve themselves, which also makes them feel run down and turn to chocolate to help. (eating small and often quickens the metabolism).

#5. They don’t exercise enough.

#6. They don’t exercise full stop and feel that just following there new diet will help them achieve everything they need.

If they haven’t stumbled at these hurdles already, there’s the concept of exercise, another dreaded word in their vocabulary.

I feel to help these people get into shape you should help them, help themselves, by educating them on the subject and showing them that dieting isn’t as bad as portrayed. And if they don’t take this opportunity with maximum help, after being educated and starting their diet, they most like won’t last. If they do take up on this opportunity and would love help, then by all means help them out, because these are the people they do really want to change and are not just complaining about how they look for attention.

I feel the best way to offer them this help is to invite them along to the gym with you as a day out or even just go swimming with them every week, this would help them out considerably without them even realising you feel they’re out of shape. After you have been out swimming or the gym order them some food and say this is my treat I want you to try this you’ll like it. Hopefully this is change their mind state and will help them out a lot also.

BONUS QUESTION(S)

The thing that first starting me working out was when I use to go the gym with my mates from school every week in the summers at most of them went so I decided to join the crowd and go along with them. After a few months of working out, I notice my first gains and so did my friends. My lifts went up and this is what got me hooked. I started working out roughly around 2 years and have made significant gains since then, I’ve only just got serious about bodybuilding and got myself a strict diet, sleeping plan, and workout routine.

I have this one friend that use you be considerably over-weight in school, and after we finished we stopped seeing each other until about 6 months ago when he passed his driving test. Now he has put on even more weight and whilst out with him he get at least 1 McDonalds meal and 1 KFC meal. I’ve told him that he needs to cut down and even invited him to the gym but he’s just laughed at me and said life’s too short to care about stupid things like that. Since then I’ve just let him get on with it as I feel he’s been like that all he’s life and doesn’t know any different.

[muscledome]

Originally Posted by admin

TOPIC: How Can You Convince Your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child To Get In Shape?

For the week of: December 10th - December 17th.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bodybuilding and being healthy is very important to you. You can't imagine why anybody would not want to live this way. Unfortunately, your loved one does not feel the same way. The complain about their looks, they are eating in a way that will cause long term health problems, and they just can't ever seem to make it to the gym.

How can you convince them to REALLY try to get in shape? How can you do this without making them upset, making them feel bad about themselves, or "nagging" them constantly.

Share your success stories if you have done this before!

BONUS QUESTIONS:

1. What made you first start working out? When was it? Have you always cared about being in shape and being healthy? If not, what convinced YOU to start caring about it?

2. Do you have any loved ones that NEED to work out/eat right but don't and may be headed for health problems? How does that make you feel? Have you told them? What was their response?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $50 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it.

Thanks!
Bodybuilding.com

I think the best way to help a Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child to get in Shape is through BABY STEPS!

I call it this because if you go to them and bring out why they should specifically get in shape and the consequences if they don't all at once you are either going to scare them away or gonna have to put up with a LOT OF TRASH TALK!!

When I say baby steps this is what I mean:

1) have them come in and be a guest in your gym, show them around and just so that they don't feel uncomfortable or see your true intentions in the wrong way, tell them you invited them to spent time together and/or help you out (spot you).
2) Show them that working out is not all "sweat and tears" or "no pain no gain". Show them that working out can actually be fun, ( and if you will maybe little by little explain to them a few of the benefits, just not too much). Basically tell them from your experience what you like about working out, what drives you, and how good it makes you feel, don't try to get in too much about the benefits but do bring them up a bit.
3) If they are still skeptical about joining a gym just keep asking them (nicely) if they would like to join you, and/or talk to them if they would like your help in either joining your gym or if they need help finding one for their financial and specific needs (ex: ones with pools, sauna's , etc.)
4) Once in a while while having a conversation to them, bring up something about health that you saw in the TV, newspaper, or heard from somebody that you think it's interesting. (Just don't go too specific or try to apply it to them)
5) When it comes to diet if they are a big fan of fast food, maybe offer to take them out to eat where the food is healthier or invite them to eat at your house and prepare a healthy meal. The point of this is not to serve them Protein shakes!!! What your trying to do is show them that eating healthy doesn't mean they have to starve or eat stuff that is nasty. An example of deliceous meal would be turkey with corn and sweet potatoes, etc. Show them that eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated, a sacrifice or even expensive.
6) If they feel they that they should get a diet, again help them out. Show to them that it doesn't need to be a pain in the butt. Guide them at structuring their meals through their busy life. And at first tell them that it is okay if they need to have a cheat sometimes. Help them built their meal plan and workout when they could use a cheal meal.
7) Once they have everything else in check, then if you think they need it or if they ask you, help them out when picking supplements from what you know and from esperience. And Maybe direct their attention to this site!!

Basically People need to be assure that they CAN get in shape, and if your going to help them then the best way is to guide them one step at a time.

BONUS QUESTION:
1)What made me first workout was probably back in 6th grade. All the other kids were skinny and/or athletic and I wasn't. Most of my life I was always the chunky kid and I got tired of it. I started first by doing tons of crunches, and push-ups, and I started getting more involved in P.E. By the time I was a freshman in H.S. I was alot leaner turning heads. It wasn't until the summer before sophmore year when I joined a gym and started buildind muscle. My junior/senior years is when I became more decicate and serious about working out. I started doing research (mostly here) and got more involve in school sports such as Rugby and Track. Now being in college looking back at pictures of me in sixth grade, I can barely recognize myself

2)Right now probably my sister and my Aunt's in mexico worry me the most. My sister is 20 years old, and about to get married in 2 weeks. She used to be in good shape, but the problem is that she let herself go because of going out to eat so much with her fiance (who is also chunky too!). I feel bad for hear because even if she doesn't realize it now, when she looks back at her wedding pictures I don't think she is going to be feeling happy about the way she ended up looking. Me and my mom keep asking her if she wants to come with us to the gym, but with the wedding plans, college, and now she is sick of something, she really doesn't care to even think about going to the gym. Plus she has a temper that just makes not even want to ask them for anything. But there are times that we do convince her and hopefully once all this passes she will be able to get back in shape.
Now my Aunt's in Mexico is another story. Since they are so far away, It's only a couple of times we get to talk/see them. But me and my mom have brought to their attention the idea of getting in shape. But since we barely see them we don't know if they are really following our advice or not. It makes me sad really becaue in my family we have already had anorexia problems with one of my aunt's and and my uncle died recently from being obese. So I don't really want any of these to happen again to them, but all I can do know is suggest to them to change their lifestyle and hope that they do it.

sorry for typing so much, I just got too carried away!

[Pizman18]

To get a loved one or friend into bodybuilding i would first tell them about my experience in bodybuilding and show how much it changed my life and how many positive things can come out of it. For example bodybuilding has made me give 100% effort on everything like school, work, etc. I am now stronger ,healthier,more confident, more dedicated, and happier. I would also be totally honest with them and ask them what they lack in their body ,and what they want to improve on. Tell them you can improve their body into what they want ,but there is no miracle cure. It takes time and dedication to see results. I would also tell them i am 100% behind you and everyone starts somewhere.

After i told them about my experience in working out i would take them to a gym and show them the basics of working out. THe first time i would just workout and have them watch me and see what i do. The next time i would
show them an excercise for each muscle and show them how its being worked and the proper form to complete the excercise. How many reps and sets of each weight. To make it easier for them i could create a workout plan with all of the sets and reps to be used.
Then i would tell them the three keys for bodybuilding Sleep,NUtrition, and dedicated working out. Tell them about the good fats,carbs, and protein to include in their diet and what not to eat. Most people eat a lot of fast food because it's convienant. I would tell them to prepare themselves b4 they go out with an easy snack to bring like nutrition bar, yogurt, bag of carrots, etc because most people have fast food because its convienant which leads to alot of fat. I would ease them into a good diet gradually because it could be too much for them to handle. When they first start out they should be allowed a few cheat meals but not excessively then every week decrease it or decrease it on their progress until they have just a couple cheat meals a week.

Bonus Question
I first started begenning of Junior year i was 120 and 5'10. I have been skinny my whole life. My parents got me a gym pass, so i ran there a few times and i started going with my friends to workout. I really wanted to get big because i would always be insulted because of my thinness and now i can do something about it. After i got into workingout i found this site online and it helped me out alot. After gaining twenty pounds and muscle i have become more confident, healthier, and looking better.

My brother is on the chubby side and i worry about him getting to obease. I have tried to help him workout and choose the good foods to eat but he just eats anything and he doesn't care. I have also showed him some excercises and info about bodybuilding. He hasn't done anything about it yet but ,im just trying to get my bro lean. He's also just twelve years old ,so there still is mucho time.

[TRICK D]

Originally Posted by admin

TOPIC: How Can You Convince Your Spouse/Friend/Relative/Child To Get In Shape?

For the week of: December 10th - December 17th.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bodybuilding and being healthy is very important to you. You can't imagine why anybody would not want to live this way. Unfortunately, your loved one does not feel the same way. The complain about their looks, they are eating in a way that will cause long term health problems, and they just can't ever seem to make it to the gym.

How can you convince them to REALLY try to get in shape? How can you do this without making them upset, making them feel bad about themselves, or "nagging" them constantly.

Share your success stories if you have done this before!

BONUS QUESTIONS:

1. What made you first start working out? When was it? Have you always cared about being in shape and being healthy? If not, what convinced YOU to start caring about it?

2. Do you have any loved ones that NEED to work out/eat right but don't and may be headed for health problems? How does that make you feel? Have you told them? What was their response?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $50 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it.

Thanks!
Bodybuilding.com

If you have a family member/friend/or spouse that could get in better shape, the absolutely best thing to do is to show them that you care about them, and suggest it in a passive way that they should go to the gym.

Ways to be passive:
1. Tell them how much fun you have at the gym.
a. Tell them about the awesome people you meet
b. Tell them about what the gym has (racket ball, basketball, tennis courts, swimming pool, weight gym, aerobics, etc).
2. Tell them about the great you feel
a. I stress how much better I feel now that i am in better shape.
b. How working out relieves the stress of my occupation
3. Be their mentor.
a. When my roomate started drinking heavily I told him he should go to the gym with me, and told him that in no time i could get him in a lot better shape, and bring up his bench. I knew that this would help him get away from alcohol for whatever reason he was using it, and get him in better shape. He came in weighing about 175 and was benching about 160. 8 months later he is still drinking, but on a much more social manner, and he benches 225 at about 195 pounds. He gained a lot of muscle.
b. The key thing about being a mentor is to be nice, I have lifted for about 6 years now, and i have a lot of knowledge on what works, and what doesn't when talking about supplements and exercise routines. Always give them encouragement and never put them down. If they are wanting to lose weight, make as much comments as possible, every week or two about how they are starting to look better. This will give them a self confidence approach to working out.


Bonus Question:
1. I started working out in September of 1998. I was 5'2 and weighed just 100 pounds. I was picked on in school for being so small and had no chances with the girls, but i was very popular (student council president of junior high). I had a lot of self confidence in myself and wanted women, so my dad who was small statured like me suggested to me to start lifting weights. When I started i could only bench 65-75 pounds. By my 15th birthday (december 25, 1998) I could bench 120 and weighed 125. I gained 25 pounds in 3 months. I soon found a lot more confidence in myself and women started noticing the body. It was great. Since then I have not let up. I didn't want to gain much weight growing up and was particularly interested in strength. In 10th grade I lifted with the football team over the summer, and finished 2nd in the bench press divided by body weight challenge. I was 130 pounds and benched 185. People we starting to notice me and getting impressed by my ranking. Currently I am bulking. Weighing 158 pounds (ripped), and benching 240 pounds. I have goals to do some bodybuilding and powerlifting in the future.

2. My mother is a fairly fit 42 year old who smokes. She just had a total hysterectomy because of cysts found on her ovaries. I feel that if she didn't smoke and she had worked out some over the last 20 years that wouldn't happen. I remember back in around 1993 she quit smoking and started working out because of fat that accumulated on her after she had my little brother. She lost all that weight. She went from 165 to 120 in about a year. I was so proud of her. Now she is still at 120, but she is coughing a lot and of course smoking. It really hurts me when I nag her about smoking. But of course she says it helps with her nerves since she is always nervous. Maybe one day I will be able to convince her that working out and not smoking would be very beneficial to her health.

[chewwy]

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel as if, by bodybuilding, the whole world has turned against me. Sure, there are the other bodybuilders in the gym, and a friendly face every now and again in the street, but on the whole, people are for some reason against me trying to physically better myself.

Why? To me, it seems perfectly logical to follow this fantastic lifestyle, always on an upwards slope to superiority and self-betterment. However, to all these ‘civilians’, unaware of truly what this sport is all about, they think I’m crazy if I even think about suggesting they come with me to the gym one day – “big muscles? pff, I don’t want to look like some steroid-guzzling freak”, or “diet? nah, I’d rather have a burger…”. It’s all too easy to despair for these people, and give up. However, don’t! The rewards, if you manage to convince a friend or relative to convert and join you in the pursuit of a better body, are great. Not only will you have a super-fit friend, relative or lover, but you’ll also find yourself pushing your own body further in the gym, since a training partner, particularly someone who you know well outside of the gym, is guaranteed to give you tons of extra motivation.

If you’ve read this far, you’re likely to be looking for some tips into convincing your friend, or whoever, into getting into shape. Undoubtedly, you’ve already tried gentle persuasion, and shown them what bodybuilding has done for you, but they won’t budge. It’s time to get serious.

Health benefits

it may be that your loved one has health problems. As obesity is ever increasing in the western world, the time to act is now – if you do nothing, it is likely that your loved one’s health will further deteriorate with time, and it is foolish to rely on developments in medical science to prolong, support, and improve your life, when this is all possible simply through exercise and diet. Be quite forceful, and warn your loved one of just some of the many problems which they may be experiencing, or are likely to in the future. A few examples are:

• heart disease
• strokes
• high blood pressure
• cancer
• join pain, arthritis etc.
• diabetes
• infertility
• weakened immune system
• mental deterioration
• high cholesterol
• cancer
• skin disease
• stress
• premature aging
• death


These points should then ideally be backed up with scientific proof, and explanations of what each of these conditions means. Don’t go into too much detail though, or you risk all this information going straight over their heads. A shock tactic like this may, hopefully, give them the wake-up call they need to get into shape. Also do little things, like putting pictures of them on the beach last summer (looking the worse for wear) on the fridge, in the hope they’ll think twice before grabbing an unhealthy snack.

However, what if this doesn’t work? It could be that your loved one is, thanks to genetics and a bit of luck, in reasonable shape already, and doesn’t see any of these problems ever likely to interfere with his life, or your loved one could play that immortal line; “life’s too short…” This is a rather ironic line, since, as you have just explained, bodybuilding will hopefully prolong your life, or at least improve the quality of it. It’s time to take further measures…

Explain exactly what bodybuilding/fitness entails

A lot of people have preconceived ideas about bodybuilding, which nine times out of ten turn out to be incorrect. Sit down with your loved one, and explain to them exactly what a normal day in your life is like. Point out the differences between theirs and yours, for example meal times, and free time. Hopefully they’ll see that it isn’t all too hard to adjust too, and may actually be fun. If you don’t want to, or can’t sit down and talk with them, instead just show them, by being around them more of the time, what your bodybuilding lifestyle is like. As they chow down to the remains of last night’s pizza, whip yourself up a nice steak and baked potato, cooked to perfection – show them what a simple, nutritious, and above all delicious meal looks like. Educate them on what exactly is in their meals – one thing a teacher of mine once did was fill a measuring cylinder with the amount of fat present in a burger and fries. To this day, I remember thinking that there was no way I was going to fill my body with that amount of rubbish again, and I reckon it convinced a few other people in the class as well.

Educate them, by explaining what calories, carbs, protein and fat actually are, and what they do. Don’t overload them with information, but just give them the idea, so they will hopefully find themselves doing things like looking on the back of food packets before they eat them, or choose to buy them. It is, of course, little things like this that pay off in the long term.

If you can, then get them to come with you to the gym. Most gyms nowadays are very pleasant places, and this will hopefully wipe away any fears your loved one might have been harbouring about the gym being intimidating and hostile. Let them watch you workout, and see first-hand the pleasure you get from doing what you do. (It may be advisable to overlook the 5 reps of 20 squats on that day – puking on the floor will generally not be considered a good first impression to bodybuilding…)

Other

Another thing which may of interest to them is a bodybuilding show. Take them to one, and let them see that it is possible for people just like them to create their ideal bodies. Most competitors are happy to speak to the contestants, and advice from someone with experience could really help sway the opinion of your loved one.

In summer, go to the beach or the pool with them, and show of your finely toned, muscular body. A little bit of sub-conscious shaming may do the trick to convince them they need to change themselves, and become more like you. Don’t be too blatant though, after all, you don’t want to lose your friend – looks aren’t everything. Flex, pose, hook up with better looking girls than them (this is not advisable if the loved one in question is your spouse or child…) and show them how, by having a great body, you also have loads more confidence!

Remember, if/when you do convince your loved one to get into shape, don’t think the struggle’s over. They will look to you for support and encouragement, and you must be there to provide it in those tentative first few weeks or months. They may feel disheartened when they don’t see instant gains, and it will be up to you to ensure they don’t give up. After all, if you’ve gone to so much effort convincing them to change their lifestyle, you may as well make sure they stick to it! Help them set up a workout program, but remember that they will lack the experience that you possess, and so will need something simple and straightforward to get them on the right track.

And finally, send them over to bodybuilding.com. There’s a wealth of information to be found amongst the articles, as well thousands of workout programs, diets and the like. The store offers, without a doubt, the most reliable and simple service of it’s kind, and its prices are unbeatable. And of course, they can get advice from fellow bodybuilders on the forums, like me. What more could you ask for?

As with everything, persistence is the key, so even if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Good luck!

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continued in next post.... (too many characters)

[chewwy]

...

Bonus Questions

1: I first started working out at the age of fifteen, during the summer break. Like a lot of teenagers my age, everywhere I looked, I was surrounded by beautiful people, at school, on TV, everywhere. It was not unusual therefore for me to have a longing to be like them. Amusingly, with hindsight, I started by doing hundreds of bicep curls with my lava lamp in my bedroom. Noticing no improvement in a couple of weeks, I figured I must be doing something wrong. A quick surf of the internet took me to, of course, bodybuilding.com, and here I found the Milk Jug Workout on the teen pages. A few weeks of doing this and I was actually noticing some gains. With my birthday coming up, I asked for a bench and a set of weights from my parents. I got them, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Before this, fitness had always been an important part of my life, and I was always careful what I ate, though it did not really matter, since I was naturally very skinny. Bodybuilding has, for the first time, allowed me to put some muscle onto my bones, and my self-confidence has soared to new heights. The extra size and strength I have gained has replaced my former sporting talents – long distance running, for sprinting, and more manly, ‘power’ sports, which I’m very happy with. I’m no longer just another skinny kid, but one who stands out from the crowd, as being dedicated, hardworking, and oh-so muscular.

2: My father, over my lifetime, has gained a lot of fat, and would now probably be described as extremely overweight. He is aware of this, and, being in a sporting and healthy family, gets this matter brought up a lot. He, himself, was a very keen cyclist in his younger years, and will still go cycling at least once a week. However, he never stops eating and drinking. He does not purposely go for fatty or sugary foods, and in fact stays away from them nowadays. However, the sheer volume he eats has over time caused his 5’ 4” frame to become rounder and rounder. He is currently in the process of being diagnosed for liver problems, most probably due to his heavy drinking. I have, numerous times, tried to convince him to change his ways, and he has gone on several crash diets in the past, losing weight, them putting it back on. He now has a wealth of knowledge about nutrition in his head, instilled partly by me, partly by doctors, but, for reason I just cannot understand, cannot stop eating. It is quite sad to see him like this, but, as he’s said in the past on many occasions, he enjoys his food, and enjoys his life, and would want it any other way. At his age, I suppose outwards appearance isn’t that important anymore, and it’s something he certainly doesn’t care about.

I’d prefer him to lose a lot of the fat from his body, but at the end of the day, it’s up to him. He knows what will happen if he doesn’t, and the ball is in his court now.

[chewwy]

lol, the first topic of the week to go over 10000 characters

[antihero]

Ways To Get Others Started:

1. You could take your friend to their favorite sporting event -> For example: you could go with a friend to a basketball game, then someone dunks the ball and the crowd goes wild. you then start up a conversation about how cool that was, he then makes the statement "I wish I could do that.". You can then tell him that he CAN accommplish that, and you can help him.

2. You passivly suggest that someone needs to get into better shape. -> For example, you are "surfing the web" when you come accross a new study that shows specific figures about health and overweight people. You then show the other person, and explain to them that you are worried about their well being. You can then explain to them the additional side effects of being overweight, and then tell them that you would like to help them get into better shape.

3. Go jogging, and ask someone to accompany you, so you have someone to talk to. do this continually, and then a week or two later, give them a compliment, such as: "are you losing weight?" or "you look really good since you started jooging with me."

4. Go lifting, and tell the other person that your spotter cant make it, and you would like them to come along, because lifting alone isnt safe. then, when you are lifting, tell them to give it a try (with a light weight), and try to get them interested, then invite them to come along again and again and again.

5. Watch "pumping iron", or another good lifting movie, and invite the other person to watch it with you.

6. Make a bet with someone. -> For example: "I bet you that i can get into better shape than you by the beginning of summer." then direct the other person to important sources of information, that will be useful.

7. Tell them about your own experiences, and how much you enjoy it.

BONUS QUESTIONS:

1. (I know this seems cliche, but...) I became interested in bodybuilding about 1 year ago. I was out of school for about 2 weeks because the medication for my epilepsy was all screwed up, and I didnt do anything all day long. I laid on the sofa, ate once every other day or so (then threw it up), didnt move, and did very little. I was then flipping through the channels when i saw someone doing squats with tons of weight. I was amazed, even though i had no idea who it was, or what i was watching. I checked the tv guide, and it was an arnie movie (with lou ferrigno). I then began to watch. I watched as he began to prepare for the contest, and did his training. I was a little interested. Shortly after, he was doing the contest posing, and it was right then that i knew that was what i wanted to do. Before this point, i played some sports, ate anything, and generally didnt care much becuase i am an ectomorph and decently thin. I then realized that i was way too thin. I was 15 years old, and about 100lbs. But when i saw what arnie looked like, i knew that i wanted to look like that, and i was (and still am) willing to do whatever is neccessary for me to reach that goal.

2. My little brother is 5ft. tall 13yrs old, and 170lbs. To be honest, this does worry me, but i have been running out of ideas of how to get him into shape. He has no desire, drive, or determination about anything. Hes getting some attention because hes fat, and he doesnt have many real friends, just those who make jokes about him, that he considers his friends. I have explained health risks to him (so has our doctor), but he just doesnt care. I've tried everyone of my ideas on how to get someone convinced on getting them into shape, but im at my witts end, so to speak. The worst part is, he needed surgery on both his feet, (so my parents are still trying to pay for the surgery, and i cant even get my supplements) so then he was unable to any physical activity, (not that he did) and now he has an excuse not to. the surgery was fully healed over the summer, and when school started he pretended that his feet hurt so that he didnt have to take gym! I just dont know what to do anymore....

[~jAmeZ~]

...

9 Secrets That Will Make Your
Girlfriend’s Butt
Look Good in Anything

...Also works on wives, husbands, sons, daughters, cousins, parents...

Your girlfriend just bought a new dress. She’s tried it on. And she’s asked the HORRIBLE QUESTION: “Does my butt look big in this?”.

It’s one of the scariest questions a guy can face. We never know what to say. And even worse…what if her butt’s to blame, and not the dress?

It’s not easy telling your other half that she should shape up. As bodybuilders, it’s our way of saying, “I’m worried about your long-term health and fitness”. Our girlfriend, however, only hears, “I think you’re fat. I’m also shallow and secretly lusting after your skinny friend”.

Don’t fear! There are ways to attack this topic and still have a girlfriend at the end of it. Here are 9 need-to-know secrets that will show you how.

Secret 1: Be Stimulating, Not Forceful
You need to start with some Psychology 101. You can’t FORCE a person to change. The harder you nag your girlfriend, the more she’ll resist your ideas.

What you need to do is change her behaviour by manipulating her environment. You see, people base their decision to change on what is going on around them. Give your girlfriend the right stimulus, and soon she’ll be gently nudged in the right direction. She probably won’t even notice what you’re up to. Read on…

Secret 2: Start with Yourself
It will help you if your girlfriend sees you as someone who practises what they preach. This is a bodybuilding website, so you’re probably in decent—if not awesome—shape already. Even if you’re not, you should be seen to be making the effort. This is your first step in creating a fitness-oriented environment for your girlfriend.

We all know the story of the pot calling the kettle black. There’s no point reminding someone to get in shape when you’re sitting on the couch eating chips out of a bag that’s balancing on your stomach.

Secret 3: Spend as Much Time Outside as Possible
Get out and about with your girlfriend. Go for walks on the beach. Hike 10 kilometres through the forest to look at a waterfall. Walk up a mountain to watch the sunset. Go on an all-day kayak trek. Choose things that make her feel good about herself. Get a town directory and find out all the low-cost things you can do around your neighbourhood.

By now you’ve probably spotted the cunning plan. You’re not “exercising”. You’re spending time together, having fun! If she’s got active friends of family, you can include them too for extra encouragement.

Common sense applies here, too. If your girlfriend is sedentary, it’s not a good idea to throw her into an all-day kayak trek. Ease her into it. Go for evening walks. Then try hiking to nice places. Find little things she’ll like. Build up gradually…and she’ll build up her fitness without even noticing what you’re up to.

Secret 4: Have a Good Time Eating Good Food
You can’t clean up a person’s diet by saying “eat this, it’s good for you”. Most people are more interested in a good time than good food. Think of all the happy, smiling faces on McDonald’s ads. Crap food, good time. It's what sells.

You need to make meal times a MAIN EVENT. Go shopping with your girlfriend and buy your food together. Select healthy ingredients and make your meals together. Tell her about the great fruit and yogurt smoothie you’re going to make her for breakfast. Prove to her that good food TASTES good. Take her to quality restaurants. Do whatever you can to build her appreciation of good food.

And when you’re going out on those long hikes or kayak treks, you can spend some time together the night before making meals to take with you.

Make sure you talk to her and find out WHY she likes a new food. It could be the taste, the texture, the way it makes her feel. These are all valuable insights into the way she thinks. Use this knowledge when you’re encouraging her to try other foods.

Common sense also applies here. Bodybuilders might like to be served raw tuna on a bed of pumpkin seeds. Your girlfriend won’t. Be healthy, but not over-the-top.

Secret 5: Start Taking Turns
Choice is a powerful thing. People are most likely to do something of their own choosing because, well, it was their idea!

Get your girlfriend to start choosing physical activities on her own. Say to your girlfriend, “Let’s go rollerblading Friday. I’ve had such a great time getting out and about with you…how about you figure out something for us to get out and do Saturday?”.

Your aim here is to encourage her to think independently about physical activity. Of course, you’ll have influenced her heavily in the past…and she’ll have some great memories. So…don’t be surprised if she chooses something like swimming or indoor rock climbing.

Don't forget...turn-taking also works very well with meal preparation.

Secret 6: Get Regular
Bodybuilders know all about the “exercise habit”. If you can get into a workout groove for three months, it’s likely to become a habit.

That’s why it’s a good idea to help your girlfriend find a regular physical activity. Take some clues from Secret 3. What activities did she like the most? Find out how you can make these regular. Maybe there’s a sports team or club she can join. Maybe Saturday simply becomes “hiking day” for you and her.

Another way is to find out what activities she did when she was younger. Most girls played some sort of sport in school (or maybe it’s an Australian thing…sport is our friend). If she did, it will be surprisingly easy to convince her to take it up again.

Secret 7: Give Her Presents
Girls like random gifts. But don’t give her jewellery or perfume. Give her something that encourages physical activity.

If she’s taken a liking to hiking, get her some boots. Surprise her with a booking for the two of you on an “adventure weekend”. Get her a jogging top. Buy her some sports shoes.

Make sure you match the gift to her activity preferences. If you’ve been paying attention to her likes and dislikes, you’ll know exactly what to buy.

Secret 8: Put Compliments in the Right Places
A little bit of encouragement goes a long way. If you’re noticing positive changes in your girlfriend’s appearance, tell her. If she cooked a great meal that had the world’s best ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat, let her know.

Be very positive. If your girlfriend is having a hard time adjusting, focus on what she’s achieved. If she wants to stop paddling that kayak because her arms are burning, tell her you’re really impressed with what she has achieved already. When she thinks, “I’ll never make it, I’m going to quit”…it’s your job to remind her that she HAS made it and she’s getting better each time.

Secret 9: Let Her Be Your Guide
You may have worked out that your role in this journey is to be a stimulus. By providing a fitness-oriented environment and pushing the right buttons, you can coax your girlfriend into the world of health and fitness.

It’s important to let your girlfriend guide you on the journey. It’s your job to discover HOW she wants to be encouraged. Find out what the barriers are to her doing something…if they are barriers you can help her overcome, do so.

For example, maybe you’re wondering why she doesn’t go to the gym. Get her talking about the subject. If she says, “Gyms scare me”, you can take her to a fitness centre one day and show her it’s not so bad. If she says, “I went to a gym for a little while and was bored stupid”, then find other activities she’ll enjoy more.


It Won’t Happen Overnight, But…
Keep your ears open, ask the right questions, support your girlfriend completely and before you know it…she’ll have made up her own mind to change her behaviour.

By making her health and fitness experiences fun, exciting and regular…you’ve found the most painless and effective way to introduce her to a better lifestyle.

And you’ve probably improved your relationship with each other, too.


BONUS Questions in next post..............
...

[~jAmeZ~]

...

BONUS Questions
1. What made you first start working out? When was it? Have you always cared about being in shape and being healthy? If not, what convinced YOU to start caring about it?

I started just out of high school. I was skinny and wanted to get bigger. I bought a bench from K-Mart and some of those cement-filled plastic weights so I could workout at home. I didn’t really care about health at that stage…I just wanted SIZE dammit!

This disregard for my health changed when a heart problem resurfaced in my early twenties. It had supposedly vanished when I was little, but it came back. I was pretty unfit at the time. I worked out with weights a lot but my cardiovascular fitness was rubbish. So I worked on it. And now my heart rhythm is good

I like bodybuilding because to succeed at it requires an insane amount of discipline. If you have the discipline to do it, it carries over into other aspects of your life. You have a certain amount of control over your body. I didn’t like the fact that my heart was letting me down, so I tackled the problem head-on with the same focus I would have with weights. It worked…and it continues to work.

2. Do you have any loved ones that NEED to work out/eat right but don't and may be headed for health problems? How does that make you feel? Have you told them? What was their response?

My sister. She gained a lot of weight since high school. Got an office job that involved lots of sitting, weird hours and plenty of time eating loads of takeaway crap.

At first, it made me feel angry and confused. I couldn’t understand how someone could disrespect their body so much—especially my own sister. That was because I was looking at the issue through my own values. I thought I was being helpful by reminding her how getting in better shape would give her this health benefit or that health benefit.

Then I read a very interesting article. I learned that people today know more about their health than ever before. And yet people today are unhealthier and fatter than any other generation! People today don’t need more health education…they need something else.

And so I took a different approach. I started using the steps I’ve just written about to help my sister. I showed her how she could save 50 bucks a week preparing her work meals at home (see…one way of getting people to eat good food). We started going out and doing things…easy in the beginning, like taking a walk. I’d talk to her about physical activities, and found out she always wanted to play squash. So I took her to the local gym and we used their courts for an hour every second or third day. She got pretty good. I bought her a racquet for her birthday. Then I talked to her about the gym’s squash fixtures. If she joined the gym, she could join the team and also make use of the gym’s facilities. So she did. After a while, she began to use more than the courts, the pool and the steam room…she got into the equipment. I gave encouragement the whole time…never forcing, just supporting her decisions and making a suggestion here and there.

That was last year. This year, the fat’s gone. She’s quitting her office job in January to go to college and become a personal trainer. I didn’t count on it going that far, but hey!


...

[~jAmeZ~]

Originally Posted by chewwy

lol, the first topic of the week to go over 10000 characters

I don't blame you Bring back the "which 3 supplements do you use" topics!

[iron270cal]

beat them with a switch...lol

[Big Natural]

Well people asked me if I was into BB'ing or something and how I got so big..(fatceps)..well I never saw a gym from the inside before so I thought it would be good for my health to actually start working out. After being sedentary for 2 years it was damn time to start out, I went from 17% BF to 25% in those years!

I have only been lifting for a couple of weeks now but results are allready very visible. The results shown and my motivation helped to get my obese brother into lifting too! He is extremeley sedentarty and extremely big ( 7 foot 315lbs ). He is loving the BB'ing too and doing HIIT 3 times a week so that should be promising!

I think that the results you come home with count the most and how it changes you. I am in college and my family wouldnt see me for 3 weeks at a time, when I came home after 3 weeks of training and they were all like woa how the hell did you do that?? IN 3 WEEKS?? I used to love mayonaise on top of everything and fat foods, now I can't even think about them without feeling sick.

Now I wanna get cut and tanned for when the summer comes, I don't want to sit all summer indoors playing videogames anymore .

[fatsuperman]

This thread is old but there is a place where people talk about their situation everyday, and give each other support and help.

NOT SPAM (stop your whining), no one is making any money here, just people helping each other that are in this situation.

[eagles56]

Originally Posted by fatsuperman

This thread is old but there is a place where people talk about their situation everyday, and give each other support and help.

NOT SPAM (stop your whining), no one is making any money here, just people helping each other that are in this situation.

why did you look this up and bump it?

[weighingscale]

tell them their shirts don't fit anymore. tell them it's too small. and when theyre buying clothes, tell them nothing seems to fit them anymore.. LOL.

[topgunner]

the best way is to lead by example. for me personally, encouragement is the best way to motivate. negativity will NOT get me going. plus, a lot of people think they have to lead these insanely restrictive lives to get in shape...which isn't the case. 6 meals a day isn't very restrictive...and healthy food is about being balanced. and being active is fun! it's not about restricting, it's about making more out of your life, and showing that is the best way to motivate.

[RoadPigJohn]

Nice topic... You must open a part 2 with more opinions about it!