Far too often, we rely on what the scale says as our measure of progress. As long as that number is going down, we keep plugging along and stick with the plan we have set in place. But as soon as you step on and that number isn't what you want to see, it feels like a moment of let down. You find yourself standing there thinking, all that work and nothing? Or even worse, I worked so hard this week and it went up? We have a tendecy to set ourselves up with the scale. We avoid that thing like the plague prior to making any healthy changes in our lives, but then once we start taking those steps we turn to it and rely on it as our measure for progress. I challenge you to stop letting the scale dictate your progress to you. Weight truly is just a number, and there are so many different factors that contribute to our body weight. (food, hormones, time of day, stress, fluid retention, lack of sleep, sodium intake, etc...) Body weight can fluctuate up tp 5lbs in a single day.
Its important to remember that progress is measured in SO many different ways. How do your clothes fit? How do you feel? Did you opt for a healthier food choice when it would've been easy to make an unhealthy one? Did you drink an extra glass of water during the day? Don't get me wrong, when I first started I weighed in weekly, sometimes even more than once a week. But after the first 20lbs, the weight stopped coming off as quickly. It was frustrating to get on the scale each week and feel like I had worked so hard, both physically and mentally, and I wasn't seeing results (or so I thought). I very quickly realized that the scale and I were going to have a love/hate relationship (as it is for most people, I presume). I have since decided that I will do bi-weekly weigh ins, but that I will use other ways to track my progress. Each day, I push myself to add one extra something....a glass of water, a piece of fruit, an extra set of something (push-ups, squats, crunches, etc...). Push yourself a little further than the day before.
Great alternative to the scale are before and after photos...oh how I recommend doing this. I have to be honest, I don't have any "true" before pictures other than photos from family events. I was so down on myself at that time that the last thing that I wanted was to take my picture like that, but boy do I regret that now. Now whenever I start I new challenge, there are always before and after pics. Measurements are another one, sometimes inches come off faster than the pounds...keep a measurement log. Something I like about the insanity program is the fit test. You do the fit test several times throughout the program (approx. 14-15 days apart). It consists of 8 different exercises, and you see how many reps you can get in 1 min (per exercise). What a great way to track you progress...there is a set of numbers you ALWAYS want to see increase :-)
Now, if you just can't seem to stay away from the scale, I challenge you to set some guidelines for yourself. Pick a specific day as your weigh in day, and always weigh in at the same time of day, as I mentioned before you body weight can fluctuate a few pounds over the course of a single day, so consistency is important. Also, regardless of what that number says, remember it is simply ONE tool that you are using to measure your progress, not the ONLY one. In the event that you and the scale are at odds with each other, don't just focus on the number, turn it into a positive regardless, and use it to set some kind of new goal for yourself for the next week (and it shouldn't be a weight related goal, i.e. drink more water, run/workout for 5 more minutes, extra veggies w/ dinner, go to bed a little earlier). All the small changes add up!
Remember, this is all a process...a journey for a lifetime...and we continue to be a work in progress.
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