A Great Body - Dream Come True... or Never Ending Struggle?

The media bombards us everyday with images of beautiful people striving for the ever elusive great body. Magazines, commercials, television programs and movies glamorize lifestyles of the rich and famous - nobody's life is complete without a happy family, the best house and car, a fantastic career and a toned and sexy body.

I know a lot of women and men who go to the gym and try to eat properly, but naming one person amongst my friends with a truly great body would be hard.

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Perhaps part of the difficulty lies in the definition of the perfect body. If the standard is determined by what's on TV, then most of us are lacking. If we're talking about someone who has great elements to their physique, there are a few good examples.

Is a makeover the answer?

Being completely realistic, everyone has problem areas they need to work on. Merely being under 30 has the advantages of better skin tone, tighter muscles and an easier time achieving the right body fat percentage. Yet even young men and women are not typically blessed with perfection.

Is body modification the only hope?

Perhaps society is chasing after an unrealistic dream. Do we need to lower our standards, invest in body shapers - or just change the definition of a healthy body image? For the female body is it being toned, or well-proportioned with curves in all the right places? For a great male body, are supplements really necessary?

A recent article in a local paper talked about a 5'8" women weighing 112 lb with a "killer body". My husband's comment - it must have been written by a woman. No man would call such a thin frame the ideal body weight.

Should our society be allowed to dictate what we ought to look like? In the end, the important thing is that people eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, and avoid abusing drugs and alcohol. Great bodies should be defined as ones that serve their owners well, no matter what stage of life they might be in.

The media will continue to bombard us with images what a great body should look like. However if we, as individuals, decide to be more realistic, we can be a positive influence on the attitudes and choices of other people, including children trying to grow up in today's world.

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