General Cycling Discussion - How much do you like your body?

Wonder how you guys like your body, afterall, we were born with it. Why do you guys train, don't like your body, share your views on this wonderful body that human have.

I train so that I can look better and everyday, I like my body more.

Do you guys like to look at your body, your muscles that you have put on? How do you guys view the fats on any part of your body?

I love some aspects of my body. My symetry is right where I like it. I have a large back and big shoulders. Massive legs. My natural waist size is narrow 'compared' to my back. I have a natural tendancy to be big and strong and find building muscle to be as easy as eating pie.

However due to some evil family genetics I have an extremely hard time becoming lean. No matter how clean I eat I always carry fat. I always look out of shape due to a spare tire around my midsection.

So to make this long statement short. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I think the biggest question you have to ask yourself is do you care what others think about you and your body. Personally I don't care. :)

Well, let's see!

Head bone connected to the neck bone

Neck bone connected to the shoulder bone

Shoulder bone connected to the back bone

Back bone connected to the hip bone

Hip bone connected to the thigh bone

Thigh bone connected to the knee bone

Knee bone connected to the ankle bone

Ankle bone connected to the heel bone

Heel bone connected to the foot bone

Etc., etc.

Yes, I think I like my body just fine!!

Foot bone connected to the bike shoe..
Bike shoe connected to the pedal..
Pedal connected to the crank arm..

Well, forgot to mention about how I felt about my body.

Here goes :

I feel great, not able to become fat, probably due to active lifestyles. Thus, I get to eat a lot and really don't care about what I eat. I do try to make sure it is a healthy choice of food, if it isn't, I just have to make up with more fruits.

I have unproportional legs compared to my torso. I like my legs though, they are longer than some friends who are taller than me. They are great looking, just a little skinny. Not exactly too much tone but there is slight definition. Love my calves, though they look only half of Lance Armstrong's. You can see the amount of muscles he has in those calves, so many sections in the calves, I have fewer.

My torso is rather skinny, though I can easily see muscle in my abs and chest, they are still not big enough to hide off the rib cage. Result of not doing too many push-ups, don't like to do them, but I do like sit ups. My arms are rather long and skinny, though smaller in muscle mass compared to my friends, I can win them in arm wrestling. HEHE

My head, is my head. A very sharp face that I have. Long and sharp that is. My mother tells me that having this kind of face makes a guy rather handsome. HEHE. My father tells me I have a sharp nose. My brother, he tells me I am handsome. I, tell myself, go get a girlfriend then. HEHE. Actually, I won't rate myself, but I'm glad to have such a face.

Overall, I love myself a lot and thank God for that. Though there isn't the golden ratio in my body, not sure about my face, I'm rather happy as a person. I know I'm leaner than other guys, stronger than other guys, fitter than other guys, faster than other guys and smarter than other guys. That makes me a happy person as I know I'm an individual with my own personality and my own frame of mind.

It's the brain .. if the brain feels good ..the body follows !. Brain feeling sluggish ..so will the body ... the great thing about the human brain is it is a self analysing organ . so there !!;)

I liked it better when I had a 34" waste. :D

I learned to love my body once I accepted that I was never going to be skinny like my mom and brother unless I starved myself. I am built like the good Georgia women from my Dad's family. Sports also helped, the fact that I was able to beat guys on the basketball and tennis courts more than made up for it. If I were starving myself I wouldn't have been able to do that.

I am working on getting back to my fighting weight after being in a stressful job for a year and not taking very good care of myself. But outside of those few extra pounds, I am happy with how I look. I don't go to bed worrying about how my hips or thighs look, I worry if they will work in the morning for my run or ride.


I love my long legs, even though being cramped becomes a concern when buying a bike. I love being tall, aside from the problems of finding a guy that's taller. And I love knowing that no one will ever accuse me of being built like my skinny brother.

:D

Originally posted by Buddy Hayden
It's the brain .. if the brain feels good ..the body follows !. Brain feeling sluggish ..so will the body ... the great thing about the human brain is it is a self analysing organ . so there !!;)

I so wish it was that easy. Very possitive attitude though.

I feel pretty good about my body. I wish I had slightly longer legs, but at least they are powerful... Aside from that, no worries...

Originally posted by cyclochica
I love my long legs, even though being cramped becomes a concern when buying a bike. I love being tall, aside from the problems of finding a guy that's taller. And I love knowing that no one will ever accuse me of being built like my skinny brother.
:D

So ... how tall are you? ;)

I like my body fine :) ...you might say I've grown attached to it! And God has blessed me with a fairly good one... two working eyes, I don't need glasses, I have teeth, I've survived several significant accidents with only slight long-term impact, and cycling to work and back is enough to help keep me at a healthy weight level. Plenty to be happy about there. If I had to nit-pick... well... I tend to get sunburn a little more easily than some. ;)

Originally posted by Buddy Hayden
It's the brain .. if the brain feels good ..the body follows !. Brain feeling sluggish ..so will the body ... the great thing about the human brain is it is a self analysing organ . so there !!;)

I know what you mean...

Just fine, thanks! Every once in a while I have a bad day where I feel like such a skinny shrimp. But then I think of how the girls in my dance company complain about their bodies, and I think they're absolutely beautiful! I can't see what they're complaining about, so I figure it must appear that way when I complain. When I look at other people, I can never see what it is they hate about their bodies.

I like my long legs, wish I had massive muscles in them, but oh well! They're very strong and defined from years of dance, however thin. Don't like my long skinny arms, even if they are defined. I called myself 'monkey arms' until this girl I dance with in college said HEY! My arms are even longer. You callin' ME monkey arms?? She looked fine to me, so I guess my arms must not look as bad as I think. I still think it's funny to make monkey faces in the mirror!!!

I like my 'middle'. I've worked very hard on it because my mom always had a hard time with her rear end/stomach. She's as skinny as I am but has a rolly tummy. She says it's my fault :D

I hated my face until I was about 15 years old and finally saw a picture of myself that I liked. I had chubby cheeks (*I* thought) and huge eyes. I finally grew into the eyes and kids stopped making fun of me and started telling me how they wished they had my big eyes. No more 'ET'. Thanks so much, Steven Spielburg, for making that character. Otherwise, what would other children have called me when I was little??? ;)

Overall I always feel good about myself because of what I mentioned in the first paragraph. My body is what it is. As long as I keep it moving and strong, I'm happy!

Shape-wize, no problems with my body! Sometimes I wish my hips were slightly narrower, just occasionally I wish my chest was a little bigger, and every now and again I wish I was a little taller.
But not very often!

I'm really lucky, I take after my dad's side of the family. I'm short and skinny and can eat what I like, and brunette and can sit in the sun. My mum's side of the family are tall and... well... larger, with fair skin. My brother takes after that side!

Ellie

I've had this body since I was born( so Mum tells me ). It's done me fine for 58 yrs but now its a bit fat round the middle but I'm working on it. (says he, hopefully).

I have always looked young for my age. At 12, that was a real problem; at 52, it somehow no longer is. Since people consistently underestimate my wife's age by 10-15 years, we must be doing something right.

John E., you may have Bilbo Baggins' complaint!

"You look as if you haven't aged a day!" (Gandalf to Bilbo on his 110th birthday.)

(At 42, I'm slimmer and stronger than most 20 year-olds, but the wrinkles around me eyes and the grey in me beard do give me away....)

I want a new body. Can I trade this one in? This one is very stubborn and holds on to fat like the great potato famine is coming again. I train, I diet, I think positive thoughts about it. I push it on and on. It doesn't matter. It's a battle. It sucks. Now I'm having chest pain and spent half my labor day weekend in the hospital. It's not enough I quit smoking and lost 25 lbs and dropped my resting heart rate into the 60's and dropped my cholesterol to a healthy number. The doc doesn't want me riding till I get a stress test. Sorry to vent but I'm kinda angry and gnarly. Tomorrow I will ride but I'll take it easy. I have to ride. I don't own a car.

Overall I'm not too bothered. My legs are a bit thinner than I'd like (particularly after I lost all my muscle tone following an accident) and I'd prefer them to be heavier so that I'd look better in my kilt , and I'm working on my lovehandles. However, I don't care that I'm losing my hair and what there is is going grey.

Well, I wish I was a little bit taller (and a baller, I wish I had a...), but that's about it. Other than that, my body seems to be doing a decent enough job of powering my bicycle, so I guess it's okay. :D

BTW: Nat: Like your .sig.

Originally posted by oxologic
How do you guys view the fats on any part of your body?

Through the legs into a full length mirror.


No complaints.

The scars could go though.

I absolutely love my body.....now if I could just find it in this old fat carcass I'm wearing!:(

Originally posted by mechBgon
I have teeth

I have teeth too. IN fact, the only time they give me any trouble is when I leave the house without them:p

Carl

Nice to see some people not taking themselves too seriously :D Hope you're feeling better, Ocean. 1OldRoadie...you wanna trade suits? My sack of bones for your fat? ;)

Originally posted by chewa
Overall I'm not too bothered. My legs are a bit thinner than I'd like (particularly after I lost all my muscle tone following an accident) and I'd prefer them to be heavier so that I'd look better in my kilt , and I'm working on my lovehandles. However, I don't care that I'm losing my hair and what there is is going grey.

I wish American men would wear kilts. :D

As for my body, I would be more satisfied with my legs if I exercised more. Not to mention I have bony chest syndrome. I would love to have my curls back. Used to have naturally curly hair until I got married. Now my hair is straight as can be. Wish my hands would get warm and stay warm. They typically stay purple unless it's really hot outside. Other than that, I like being tall with a fast metabolism.

Originally posted by cowgirl
Used to have naturally curly hair until I got married. Now my hair is straight as can be.
Ummm... not meaning to pry... but I'm not quite sure I see the causal link here... :D

Originally posted by cowgirl
Wish my hands would get warm and stay warm. They typically stay purple unless it's really hot outside.
Cowgirl,

You might want to have a chat with your Md. about
hypothyroidism, one of the symptoms is
perpetually cold hands and feet, unless you've been
diagnosed with Reynauds syndrom.
Biofeedback can work for the cold hands/feet sometimes.
FWIW I used to have wavy hair, but for some strange
reason its now straight and, get this, it changed colour
from brown to brown and grey! :lol:

Marty

I will say it depends on the day. Today, it is not perfect but I am not too unhappy.

Other days, oh my, I agree with oceanrider I want to trade it in.

Slowly I am changing my body. It started with my thighs, which are pretty good, and now it is my calves... can we talk about my calves???? I love my calves! After my I finish my century this weekend I am going to move to the top half.

I used to hate myself. I was the short, fat girl, with the braces and the glasses all through school. Somewhere around my 30s something went right. I have no idea why, although I do think that starting to exercise and learning to ignore the naysayers helped a lot. Nowadays, in my mid 40s, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not beautiful, but I'm OK. I'm not thin, but this is the most fit I've ever been. I won't win any races, but I can keep up most of the time. I'll take it!

For years I wanted to be bigger - I've always been strong, but skinny. For years I focused on building muscle and gaining weight. I was stuck with "the grass is always greener... " syndrom. However, about 5 years ago I saw most of the people my age starting to slow down and put on weight (specialy the ones with kids, like me) - not the good kind. I then realized I should look at my lean build as a gift and not a curse. Now I just eat and ride - and ride.

Great to see so much replies and that so many of you actually love or at least like your body. It is great that you all learn to treasure.