Everybody has the perfect body! Make the small changes to get the best out of you

Fitness expert Sophie Mei Lan discusses the importance of small changes and learning to love yourself...
Sophie Mei Lan... then and nowSophie Mei Lan... then and now
Sophie Mei Lan... then and now

I am pear shaped. I have strong thighs which is where I tend to easily store fat and because I am leaner on the top.

I am now the owner of visible biceps after consistently following an exercise programme tailored to my body type, which is mainly an endomorph, as part of my daily routine.

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But my biggest transformation hasn’t come in the shape of a new defined muscle, it has come from how I perceive my body by adopting a better mindset.

My before and after shot is not a typical overweight photo of me pre-slimming to hitting my goal weight, because I haven’t lost much weight and I do not follow a diet.

It is my whole life which has changed from being an unhealthy eating disorder patient to today, where I feel stronger in my mind and body than ever before.

Yes, I have lost fat and built muscle over the past couple of years, but none of that really matters.

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What matters is how I think and feel about myself and in turn how I choose to behave.

I have always battled my body with extreme yo-yo dieting and excessive fitness regimes… and actually I never won the battle with myself.

The results of diet pills, stage makeup, harming myself through long workouts and unhealthy habits meant that at times I was severely skeletal and more often than not I gained fat and a swollen face, which I would eventually laden with make-up to try and fix how much I loathed myself.

I felt well and truly out of control. In my mind I was a failure, I failed to be skinny and I failed to embrace my curves because I was so weak mentally from torturing myself to conform with changing trends or what I was fed as the ideal shape and look.

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My transformation didn’t happen overnight because my years of negative self-talk and compulsive behaviours led to me needing in-patient care, a lot of therapy and eventually I was able to learn how to add to my life rather than extract things as the dieting industry led me to believe I needed to do.

My in-house personal trainer and partner describes the problems with diets well: “A diet indicates an ending point, whereas being healthy inside out is a lifestyle and an ongoing journey.”

When I made the decision to take positive control of my mind and body, I began small by adding simple activities to my daily routine such as exercising each morning as soon as the alarm went off.

I would then make sure that after my workout I would listen to a self-development podcast whilst getting ready which was my 10 minutes of self-care before facing work or the school run.

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I then was able to eat more intuitively and I felt more motivated to focus on work and even to add in more self-care activities throughout the day.

The more I moved, the stronger I felt inside out and I was able to rediscover my love of dancing and even a new found interest in outdoor pursuits and weight-lifting.

I let go of the battle on my body and I felt more connected again to my own self rather than always striving for perfection, it was about progress for me.

This compound effect of habit stacking and building up my knowledge and passion in mind and body fitness, my daily rituals and a healthier approach to how I view myself actually gave me the result I never even knew existed.

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I am built a certain way due to my genetics but I am now able to accept who I am and work with what I have got rather than fight a losing battle against it.

As I always say self-love is the best love and I accept I am perfectly imperfect.

My mantra whenever I coach women… everybody is a perfect body.

Mind Challenge

What gift are you going to give yourself today? What makes you feel truly connected?

Did You know?

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Each of us have a varying body composition but tend to fall into certain categories although we may have a combination.

Body types

The three body somatotypes are: endomorph - tends to gain weight easily; mesomorph - tends to build muscle easily; ectomorph - naturally lean and long limbed.

Life hack

Speed decluttering - don’t over complicate decluttering or overwhelm yourself by getting everything out of each cupboard. Start small by quickly decluttering in 30 minutes whizzing around your home removing anything you don’t want or doesn’t give you joy.

Workout One

Banded squat to press x10, banded bentover rows x10, banded push ups x10. Repeat as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.

Workout Two

Tricep dips x10, alternating steps ups x10 (five each leg), v-ups x10. Repeat as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.

Follow Sophie at @SophieMeiLan and @MamaMeiBlog