What would it take for you to totally change your appearance? In my case, probably something pretty dramatic would have to occur for me to take dieting and exercising more seriously.
Of course, within every overweight man is someone slim and trim, and within every skinny shrimp is a gigantic juggernaut. But it's hard to appreciate just how different someone can look after working out until you can view the results with your own eyes.
If you want an example, then look no further than the hulking Viking Chris Aslesen. Once a self-described "chubby nerd', in just four years Chris has managed to totally change his appearance; gaining a chiselled jaw, washboard stomach and bulging biceps through many hours spent at the gym.
The security guard, who hails from Tønsberg in Norway, uses his Norse heritage as inspiration and has gone to some pretty extreme lengths in the name of his workout goals. He now routinely posts photos from his workouts on Instagram under the hashtag #Viking, has sacrificed old friends, who are more interested in playing video games than getting fit, and has replaced his old junk food-based diet with one that emphasises the importance of leafy green vegetables and grilled meat.
Commenting on his amazing weight loss in a recent interview, Chris stated: "Being Norwegian means the Vikings are my ancestors. I go for hikes at least twice a week and am at the gym six times a week. I do gymnastics too. I look to the Vikings for inspiration ... I always want to look better,” he said. “I’m happy with my body now, but I won’t gain weight. Meanwhile, I want more tattoos and an even bigger beard."
Chris first decided to lose weight after acknowledging a number of hard truths about his body image and former lethargic lifestyle. He states: "I was looking in the mirror one day when I was naked and thought, ‘I’m fat.’ I wobbled, I had flab. It was horrible. But then, my diet was horrible. I’d have takeaways three times a week."
He added: "I’d eat hamburgers and fried chicken. I loved cake and pizza. I would drink litres and litres of Coca-Cola and eat sweets. When I found people working out, I did just what they did. Press up, bench press-ups… everything. I read loads of books – about 15 – on the art of bodybuilding, too."
Chris has even decided to incorporate his baby son, Storm, into his workout routines, lifting him up as if he were a weight himself. In addition, he now socialises with a crowd of buff bodybuilder friends.
I'm sure that he's going to raise his little boy to be just as badass as he is, and maybe even imbue him with the power of Thor himself. With a name like 'Storm', frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was lifting weights by the time he reaches kindergarten.
