Who of us at one point in our lives have not felt like we were having an "ugly day?" We all have had days like that and I'd be almost tempted to say that it is normal if I did not know otherwise.
For so many people all across the world regardless of colour, creed and race, our physical appearance plays a huge role in the way we determine what a successful day is and what it is not.
But why is that we all ask? The truth of the matter is that in a world that is driven by advertising, we are bombarded daily to look a certain way, wear a certain label or drive a certain car in order to be successful.
The media essentially dictates to us what we need and should have in order to fit the bill of success that they dictate.
In their world they are very right in assuming those things but luckily for us we have the choice to either live in their world or live in ours.
Self esteem is a huge issue amongst teenagers as they go through that confusing time called puberty.
Many things go wrong at this stage of life and many things go right.
The difference is caused by the circle of influence that each teenager is exposed to.
Such is life.
It has been that way and will continue to be that way.
What we need to realise is that we have a very real choice.
One that can lift us up out from the shackles of materialism and take us to a place where we can be ourselves and enjoy being ourselves.
All this sounds very philosophical for an article on weight lifting but it will make sense in a minute.
Let's keep in mind what has been said above and using those examples let's translate that into our lives at present.
Waking up and feeling that you're overweight is not a great feeling.
And more than likely what is going to happen is that an overweight person will look for a way to cover up that overweight body by perhaps wearing designer labels.
So what begins to happen is that instead of facing the problem we begin to cover it up w ith what we think will draw people's attention away from the situation that needs attention.
This might work for a while but we know that we're only fooling ourselves and very soon we plummet into depression and nobody wants to go there.
So, now that we've had a look at all the doom and gloom is there an answer? The great news is that yes, there is an answer and that answer is weight lifting.
Why weight lifting? Why not depression pills or therapy or some kind of alternative treatment.
Well, the truth of the matter is that if a person is obese or overweight then that condition is chemically influencing that person's body in a negative way.
When our bodies are out of sync or when we do not have an adequate balance then the body starts to attack itself to try and put right what has gone wrong.
We need to be mindful of what is happening with our bodies so that we can maintain the balance that we need in order to be healthy.
I use the example of being overweight because I understand it as I was overweight and I know how I felt.
I also have clients who are overweight and I hear them change as they progress on their programmes.
The ladies usually change their hair when they start to feel better and the men start to try out some fashionable clothing to show off their bodies as they grow in confidence.
It is true that physical training can help with many of the ailments that plague us today as a society.
There is even medical evidence that physical training assists with the treatment of autism.
That is how valuable physical training is.
Our bodies were built to move freely and to allow us to do many physical things.
We were not designed to be restricted and when we reach a point where we are unable to fulfill the design of the body we start to get sick, either physically or mentally or both because we are out of balance.
Indeed there are many ways to be active but lifting weights will bring the fastest, safest results and get you back into a position of control and confidence.
Dust off your old gym bag, pack your gear and your courage into it and go and get your confidence back.