This weekend, I was totally honored (and flustered) to film a video with seven elite, professional bodybuilders and fitness models. And I’m super excited to share the video with you in a few weeks.

There are guys with great bodies and there are guys with great bodies. And these guys had great bodies.

Even my dad noticed. After checking out my Instagram pictures, he called me and said, “Wow, they have muscles on muscles. Even their ears have muscles!” I think he was a little bit into it.

At any rate, I loved chatting with the guys and asking them about their fitness and nutrition routines.

One of the buffer individuals noted that he goes to the gym three times a day. Once in the morning for cardio and abs. Then around noon to lift. And then again at night for cardio.

I also went out to dinner with two of the guys, and was astounded by their appetite. They both ordered three meals. Three!

Suffice to say, being a fitness model or bodybuilder isn’t just a lifestyle. It’s a full time job.

In fact, it would be nearly impossible to have a 9 – 5 job and still look the way these guys look. And yet, these are the guys that we see in the pages of fitness and health magazines – and, more notably, these are the guys that we measure ourselves against.

And, lest we forget, there’s also a darker side to bodybuilding involving things like steroids, Human Growth Hormone, diuretics and even injectable oils that add volume to muscles.

On one hand, I think it’s great to be inspired by the hard work, dedication and physique of fitness models and athletes.

On the other hand, it’s also important to be realistic – and kind – with ourselves. Despite what fitness marketers may want us to believe, these bodies weren’t built with just 10 minutes a day and three easy payments of $29.95.

It reminds me of a question that I often get asked, and that I’ve answered on this blog. Guys want the perfect six eight pack. I often respond with another question: How important is it to you? Perhaps you could look like a fitness model or bodybuilder. But do you want it badly enough to dedicate your entire life to it? For most of us (and myself included), the answer is no.

I love working out. I love fitness. I love health and nutrition. All of those things are a big part of my life. But I also love being able to make YouTube videos, spend time with family and friends and honor other aspects of my life. I also like cake. And maybe you do, too.

Let’s all challenge ourselves to be healthy… in every sense of the word. But part of that means having healthy goals, healthy expectations and a healthy relationship with our body. And it means being inspired by bodybuilders and fitness models without being destroyed or discouraged by the images we see of them.