How to be a Beautiful Badass – Part 3

by Nia Shanks | Follow her on Twitter here

Today is the third and final part of How to be a Beautiful Badass. In case you missed the first two parts, you can check them out here and here.

Now let’s get into the final four ways to be a Beautiful Badass!

10) Stop Comparing

In Beautiful Badass I go in depth on this topic because I think it’s incredibly important, but it’s not discussed very often. Women really need to pay attention to this one.

Beautiful Badasses should NOT compare themselves to other women – be it athletes, models, friends, actresses, siblings, figure competitors, or any other individual.

Every person is unique, both mentally and physically. You may have short arms and a long torso. You may have long arms and a short torso. You may have different training interests/goals.

Point is, you may have completely different leverages, muscle origins and insertions, limb lengths, height, and dozens of other differences than the person to whom you compare yourself.

As an example, the woman who is short in height but constantly compares herself to a model who is a foot taller than her is fighting a battle she can never win. Why waste the energy and stress yourself out over something you have absolutely no control over, and something you can never change?

Bottom line here – stop comparing! As cliché as it may be, you should focus on being the best person that you can be. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and potential heartache.

There is nothing wrong with discovering the strengths you naturally possess, and then improving and highlighting them as much as possible.

11) Don’t Focus on the Scale

Relying on the scale for weight loss and body composition changes can be counterproductive. While it can be useful at times, most people put too much emphasis on the number staring back at them.

I’ve witnessed plenty of women completely transform their bodies without the scale budging a noticeable amount (as long as they aren’t severely overweight, that is). It’s very common for women to maintain the same bodyweight (or close to it) but look entirely different after working out and eating smart consistently.

Sure, the number on the scale may only be a few pounds less, or even the same, but she’ll have much less body fat, more muscle, look better in her clothes, and have more confidence and energy.

I have nothing against stepping on a scale every couple of weeks just to make sure nothing crazy is going on or to keep you on track, but you absolutely shouldn’t get on it every day. Honestly, I’d encourage you to get rid of the scale all together. Seriously. Just toss it in the trash.

Instead of worrying about the number on the scale, focus on better indicators of your progress – energy levels, how you look in your clothes, performance in the gym, a few simple measurements taken every few weeks (waist, hips, thighs, etc), confidence levels, etc. Those are significantly better sources for feedback.

If you’re addicted to the scale, I challenge you to put it away. Go get it right now; put it in the back of a closet (or better yet, throw it away). Commit to eating smart and training hard, use some of the measurements listed above for the next several weeks, and see what happens.

12) Don’t Focus on “Feeling the Burn” or Burning Calories

“Feeling the burn” when you workout doesn’t mean you’re burning off body fat or even doing something worthwhile. Go tread water in a pool for 20 minutes – you’ll feel the burn, you’ll probably cramp up, but you won’t be improving your body composition or physical appearance in the process.

Instead of trying to “feel the burn”, focus on using perfect form, squeezing out more reps than the previous workout, or adding more weight to the bar.

Furthermore, there’s nothing fun about trying to estimate how many calories you burn in a workout. However, there is something very motivating about tracking what really matters – your performance.

Forget about burning calories and “feeling the burn;” focus on getting stronger and improving your performance and your efforts will be well rewarded. You’ll probably even enjoy working out much more too.

And finally, the 13^th way to be a Beautiful Badass . . .

13) Don’t  “Exercise.”

Being a Beautiful Badass goes far beyond getting in a workout on a consistent basis.

Again, being a BB is all about attitude.

“Exercising” is a chore; it’s something you don’t necessarily want to do, but you (maybe) do it anyway. When I hear or think of the term “exercising”, I get the same feeling like I did when I was a kid and my Mom told me to clean my room or do some other household chore.

It’s hard to do something consistently and wholeheartedly when you view it as just another chore; something else you’re supposed to do or have to do. Most times you’ll do whatever you can to get out of it or put it off.

Training (or working out, whichever term you prefer), on the other hand, is completely different. Training is driven by a positive mindset and provides long-term fulfillment and motivation. Training keeps you motivated to show up to the gym day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.

Training has clear and defined goals. Training is something you do because it leads you in the direction you want to go with your health, performance, and body composition goals.

The mindset of “training” versus “exercising” is what separates those who jump on the latest and greatest band wagon only to quickly revert back to bad habits without any results compared to those who stay the course long term and constantly improve.

Those who “exercise” will quickly try the latest fad diet. They may lose a few pounds, but they quickly give up only to regain the weight, usually with interest.

Beautiful Badasses apply a few basic strength training and nutrition principles and achieve their goals.

It’s not a quick fix – it’s a lifestyle.

So ask yourself this question: do I “train”, or do I “exercise”? If you’re a person who “exercises” out of obligation, I suggest you set positive goals that’ll keep you motivated. And a goal like “losing weight” won’t work here. A much better, measurable goal would be something like “I want to perform 5 perfect chin-ups” or “I want to deadlift 1.5 times my bodyweight.”

Those goals are positive and measurable. And guess what – if you follow a smart workout program and eat smart consistently, not only will you attain those goals, but you’ll also improve your body composition as well. The fat loss you achieve will just be a wonderful side effect from training for performance.

There you have it – now you know how to become a Beautiful Badass. And if you already are a BB, hopefully you have some information on how to become a better Beautiful Badass.

Now you know HOW to become a Beautiful Badass. But what should you DO now? Get the exclusive Beautiful Badass Mini Course that includes a Free workout and start building a better body. You’ll also get insider only information. Just sign up below.