Who is lean, muscular, toned, ripped 6 pack and good looking? Let's play who am I.
Hmmm...
Straight away you might think...
Hugh Jackman, maybe Robert Downey Jr or is it teen sensation Taylor Lautner? WRONG IT'S ME!...
OK it's not me...
but we all would like to think that way and wouldn't we kill for that perfect physique? In fact all of us right NOW is trying to create that look but ask yourself "at what expense" does it come? The fitness journey begins, we achieve positive results that's to our liking.
And humans nature will drive us to do more and more as these efforts produce better results so the cycle begins! STOP HERE: We need to realise the path we are going down? is it; (A) We are content with each new level of physical achievement and do enough to maintain or grow further at a rate that fits conveniently into our daily life? or (B) Continually be discontented with any achievement and begin to increase the efforts leading us into an obsessive behaviors that begins to take over our normal life.
Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or what you believe and feel about your own appearance.
It can also come from perceptions of how others see us.
Film, television and print media constantly bombard us with the perfect male bodies showcased 24/7 that subtlety influencing us to pursue the body beautiful.

If you persistently worry about your body image it can start to affect your ability to focus on daily activities.

I'm sure we all think about our body shape but it's the level and depth of the pre-occupation we need to aware of.
When you over eat or don't see the gym results you expect, how disappointed do you get? I just sometimes want to turn around and go straight back into the Gym and try again! Extreme weight loss can also put the heart under pressure and increase the risk of a heart attack, excessive exercise can lead to injuries and muscle loss.
CAUSES: There can be many reasons how negative body images develop here are of the areas that can influence us;

• Childhood teasing
• Peer group pressure
• Cultural tendency
• Male sports players
• Advertising

If we can identify the cause that goes along way to fixing the problem.

NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS:

1. Over exercising of up to 2- 3 hours day
2. Unreasonable cutting out meals or specific food group
3. Feeling unsatisfied once you achieve a health or weight goal.
   
4. Spending a lot of time focusing on appearance,
5. The way you look makes you feel very unhappy
6. Reliant on drugs like Steroid abuse

Fact: 3 per cent of Australian teenage boys already use muscle enhancing drugs like steroids also illegal in some countries.
The result of negative body image can lead to this; SYMPTOMS

• Low self esteem
• Depression
• Preoccupation with food, weight and exercise
• Refusal to maintain healthy body weight:
• Lying about eating and difficulty eating in front of others:
• Fatigue and muscle weakness:
• Binge eating or purging food:
• Compulsive exercise and obsession with body shape:

For long term health we need to make some better natural choices.

A negative body image develops over time so changing it can take time and effort to reverse.

SUGGESTIONS improving your body image:

• Reflect on your experiences and try to understand any influences that created your body image as an example from childhood experiences.
  
• Weigh yourself less often.
  
• Throw those scales away and use your clothing as a gauge or the mirror (but not too much).
  
• Treat your body with respect, think about eating well and decide if punishing routines are getting you fitter or breaking you down.
  
• There is not need to take any performance enhancing or weight loss drugs.
  You can do it naturally.
  
• Find a healthy balance between how your body looks versus how efficiently it functions in daily life.
  
• Find other of reasons for exercising (stress release, increase social contact and networking, improve sporting techniques),

Sometimes we might not achieve the physical appearance or level of fitness you wanted.
How much does it really matter is up to you? Zen teaches us to have constant awareness of our current being or state, it helps us to remain focused on the right path to live a healthy and balanced life.