Last week you were presented with Part 1 of Beautiful Badass Pillars – The Sane and Simple Way to Build a Better Body. If you haven’t checked that out yet, I highly recommend you do so before continuing with Part 2.
Here are the remaining seven Beautiful Badass Pillars.
8. Use Eating Patterns that Work for YOU
I’m a huge advocate of doing what works best for you, and what fits your personality and lifestyle. No two people are the same, and therefore no single nutrition strategy will work for everyone. Well, one method may work for everyone, but everyone may not enjoy it and find it easy to maintain long-term.
There’s no real secret, except everyone does what works best for them. And, most people seem to focus on eating primarily whole, natural foods.
If you don’t know what approach works best for you, then experiment. After all, how will you know unless you try?
You can also check out Sane and Simple Nutrition for more information about common sense, diet-free, flexible nutrition habits.
Bottom line – find an eating pattern that you enjoy. Whether that means multiple meals through out the day, intermittent fasting, simply eating only when you’re hungry, or any other method, you need to do what works for you.
9. Do What You Enjoy
I’m bias to strength training methods that revolve around barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight exercises. They’re easy to learn, allow for progressive overload, require minimum equipment, and can be done at home if you have the equipment.
However, some people prefer to train with kettlebells, strongman equipment, or participate in Olympic lifting. I don’t care what tools you use, or any possible combination. Do what you enjoy and whatever will keep you going back to the gym on a consistent basis.
Again, feel free to experiment. Maybe you want to learn the Olympic lifts, or perhaps you want to compete in a powerlifting meet. Or even still, maybe you want to be able to perform advanced bodyweight exercises like front levers and handstand push-ups.
Find something that gets you excited and go for it. Doing what you enjoy is a terrific way to love your workouts and stay motivated.
10. Supplement Wisely
As with most things, I prefer to take a minimalist approach when it comes to supplements.
First and foremost, I suggest you apply the other rules (especially regarding nutrition) before worrying too much about supplements. The other pillars will provide “more bang for your buck”, and the supplements can just make things a little better.
The two main supplements I recommend are a high quality fish oil – my favorite is Carlson’s Finest Fish Oil. It’s high quality and also one of the most affordable fish oil supplements. Please note that’s an affiliate link; if you click that link and make a purchase I’ll receive a commission.
Other than a high quality fish oil (you get what you pay for, by the way), I recommend supplementing with Vitamin D. If you don’t spend consistent time in the sun year round, I recommend you take Vitamin D. As with fish oil, there is much research showing great benefits to having adequate blood levels of Vitamin D.
Beyond those two supplements, I wouldn’t list anything else as mandatory. Sure, you can use protein powder for convenience, but you don’t need it. Likewise you can take things like creatine, if you so desire.
If you think a certain supplement could help you out, then feel free to go for it. Just don’t buy into the hype of fancy supplements that promise crazy awesome results. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And it’s probably very expensive.
11. Don’t Do This. EVER!
Inserting your head into your own rear-end via some new fandangled “exercise” is not appropriate Beautiful Badass behavior. Once again, doing something remotely similar to that video will result in immediate and permanent termination of your Beautiful Badass status.
12. Deadlift
The list would not be complete without mentioning deadlifts, and I don’t need to say much more about this important Beautiful Badass Pillar. Now, you don’t have to deadlift a straight bar from the floor to fill this requirement, but I do recommend you perform some variation of the deadlift. You can several awesome variations here – Ode to Deadlifts.
13. Play, Don’t Exercise
I love hill sprints and other Beautiful Badass-approved condition methods. But sometimes I tell my clients to focus 100% on their strength training workouts and avoid all other forms of structured exercise.
That means no hill sprints. No interval training.
Instead they’re encourage to participate in FUN physical activities. The “fun activities” you choose depend on where you live and what you enjoy. Personally I love hiking, skiboarding, and racquetball.
If you’ve never just had fun before, I highly suggest you do so. You don’t have to exercise to build a better body.
Discover ways you can be more active outside of the gym and have fun.
You can even turn your strength training workouts into “fun” at the playground. Check out this video for a workout I did on a playground while traveling. Watch the whole thing for some *great ideas* on what to do during your rest periods between exercises.
14. Focus on Health First – The Rest are Side Effects
It’s entirely possible to lose body fat and look great in a swimsuit but not improve your overall health. However, I strongly believe that if your body is healthy (no systemic inflammation, digestive issues, getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, obtaining a proper ration of omega-6:omega-3 fats, etc) then you’ll also have low levels of body fat and look great in, and out of, your clothes. *Cue the sexy music*
Think about it – you could easily go on the latest rapid fat loss diet and lose weight drastically, but did you improve your overall health in the process, and can you maintain that initial weight loss long term? More often than not the answer is no.
However, if you make every effort possible to improve your digestive health, reduce inflammation, and eat the best foods possible to nourish, strengthen, and restore your body, then you will be paving the way to a leaner body as well.
Bottom line – make improved health and quality of life your main goal, and then fat loss and improved body composition (along with higher energy levels, better sleep quality, etc) will become a wonderful side effect.
If you’re constantly thinking about, and focusing on, fat loss, then you could benefit from reading Letting Go of the Fat Loss Mindset Part 1. You don’t have to focus on fat loss to achieve fat loss, and that article explain how.
BOOM! So there you have it – 14 Beautiful Badass Pillars.
If you want more information on how to become a Beautiful Badass, then be sure to snag the free Beautiful Badass Mini Course below!