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I Will Look Like That… Eventually.

Editor’s Note: I asked Stormy Riot from GeekGirlStrong to offer up some of her thoughts on body shapes and image this week… and she definitely delivered!

I think it is fairly common for most kids to think that eventually, they will look like the adults they see most often.

For a kid today, the adults they see the most often are the ones they do not even know personally. Even once we grow up it seems that we are forever aiming to look like those we see before us.

Whether that is Scarlett Johansson, Lara Croft or maybe Ororo Monroe, we believe that there must be something we can do to achieve a look we thought we would grow into.

Society (I’m painting with a really big brush here) expects for us to look something like an hourglass or a pear for women, and an inverted triangle or carrot for men.

So much so that we have found all kinds of shapes and objects to describe different body types/shapes. It is said that there are evolutionary reasons behind this, women with wider hips (think waist to hip ratio) appear better able to carry offspring to term and give birth. Men with broad shoulders (the waist to shoulder ratio) seem strong and capable of protecting and providing.

Current studies and articles in academic journals support this. It is not that we would rather be in a long-term relationship with this person, but the evolutionary attraction is definitely there.

For some more insight, check out these links:
http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/4/716.full
http://www.unm.edu/~abryan/articles/femalehipratio.pdf
http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(09)00109-3/abstract

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4 Superheroic Steps to Stop Snacking!

Editor’s Note: I am off preaching the good word of geek fitness at Awesome-Con this week, so I have asked the geektastic Mike Sweetman, from Be A Healthy Geek, to step in and shares his thoughts on how to stop snacking late at night… Take it away Mike!

It’s after supper, and I just can’t stop myself from heading to the cupboards for even more food.

This was me every night – I’d head to bed feeling defeated, and wake up tired because of all the food I’d ate late at night. It took me a lot of reflection and research, but I managed to defeat my personal super villain.

And I know you can too…

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5 Tips to Stay Motivated When You Feel like Giving Up

5 Tips to Stay Motivated When You Feel Like Giving Up - The Jerd

Editor’s Note: A lot of you have been asking for tips on staying motivated, so I’ve asked Tim Ponticel to come by and offer up some ideas. Tim runs fitnessforprofessionals.com, a health and fitness website that helps young professionals shed excess body fat, get leaner and stronger, and boost their energy and confidence. Take it away Tim!

We’re two months into the New Year. It’s about time when many of you with New Years resolutions to get in shape start to lose motivation and give up on exercising and eating nutritious foods.

Then there’s the group of people who have been exercising and eating healthy for some time, but they’re motivation gas tank is running on empty. They’re quickly burning out and don’t know which way to turn.

Whichever group you’re in – this post is for you.

Most people lose motivation because they fail to see results.

It’s frustrating. And more often than not, it’s not their fault.

They were simply given a poorly designed roadmap.

But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about staying motivated when you feel like giving up. It’s about tapping into (or back into) that “inner game” so that you bust through the mental barriers that are keeping you from getting (or staying) fit and healthy.

Let’s get started. Here are 5 tips to stay motivated when you feel like giving up.
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