For most of my clients when I sit down with them, their number one goal is weightloss; i.e. “I want to be 135 lbs 125, etc. However, if you’re just getting started, the scale may be the worst choice for tracking your progress.
In fact, your weight may be the least important thing to keep track of.
My whole life I always relied on a number to keep me in check. The crazy part was, I didn’t even care what I looked like to get to that number. All I wanted was to look wafer thin and I hated the fact that I had a muscular build; I wanted to be “skinny”.
I didn’t care if I was healthy or how I felt, I just wanted to be able to fit into a size 4.
When I write this on paper I have to laugh (and shake my head). I had no goal in place, no care of my long-term longevity I just wanted a silly pair of jeans to fit!
I recently saw one of my moms friends that I had not seen for a long time. My mom is 58 but looks like she is in her 40’s. She has always made health her priority through fitness, good nutrition, and overall wellness. Her friend (who has always been super thin), was not healthy and it showed. She looked 20 years older than my mom and she looked unhealthy.
I remember when I first began Crossfit I actually gained 2 lbs and lost 2 sizes. My whole body was changing and I was beginning to love my “muscular” healthy body.
I was now feeling strong and “fit” on the inside and out. I realized the foods that I was eating, the sleep that I was getting, and the workouts that I was doing were all paving my path for a long happy healthy life.
While your weight is important, what’s even more important is how much muscle you have. Muscle takes up less space than fat, making you look slim and trim, and helping you to burn the most calories efficiently.
When you exercise, you gain muscle, raise your metabolism and lose fat, but that fat loss won’t always show up on the scale. Where it will show up is in measurements, how your clothes fit and how your body looks. All that can happen even if the scale isn’t moving.
Sadly many of us judge our success or our failures based on a number on the scale. Having the scale say a number we are pleased with might be nice, but it isn’t a good guide to “scale” your overall health and fitness.
Here is a great visual to a day in the life of a woman and her scale… Now you can see how the scale truly lies…
How do you measure success Fit Ones?
Post in the comments below…
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Fit Chic