How Do You Figure

"She looks that way because she was a dancer and did all kinds of ballet exercises."

Or maybe she was a good dancer because of her body type and what she did for exercise really did very little to change that. A long, lean body tends to be useful when performing, but if you're short and stalky, all the pilates, pole dancing, and gyrokinesis in the world is not going to change that. Sure, exercise is a means of altering your appearance, but not all appearances are reality.

In his article, Appearance Based Considerations found here, Dr. Doug McGuff states that "probably the most profound truth we can acknowledge about exercise is the fact that what we most desire from an exercise program is to improve our physical appearance." He goes on to say that "in contemporary society we have become obsessed with the aspects of beauty based on rarity and relatively unconcerned with those aspects based on health... The problem with the rarity aspect of beauty is that it is totally out of our control. Despite the implications that 'you too can look like this', these people have been bestowed a genetic gift that is very useful to them but can never be given to you. The fact that we fail to understand this truth is the driving force behind women's (and men's) fashion magazines, almost the entire exercise industry, food supplement industry, sporting goods industry and on and on."

Now, before you get discouraged, understand that there is lots you can do to improve both your health and appearance. There are three things that control your body shape - your skeleton, your muscles, and your body fat. Aside from improving bone density, exercise will not change the shape of your skeleton. It is a given, dictated by your genes. Although genetics also influences the amount of muscle you can develop, the way you distribute fat, and the order and rate at which fat can be lost, these tissues are more responsive to exercise and proper nutrition and determine your overall body shape. You may not look like a model, but you can become your personal best. Muscles can become stronger or weaker and fat can be gained or lost. You decide. Just don't be fooled.