Ditch the Scale!

Today I encourage you to re-examine the role that the scale has on your fitness mindset and focus on the journey and your victories along the way. Let’s dig in!

Many people I talk to base their health success by the numbers they see on the scale. They celebrate the numbers they want to see and become disappointed and discouraged by the numbers they don’t want to see (usually when the numbers go up). While the scale is one tangible way to measure your progress, it is certainly not the only one, and not one that I recommend basing your wellness journey on.

For starters, we are complex human beings with complex bodies. It is completely normal for our body weight to fluctuate based on various factors such as water retention, our monthly cycles, hormonal changes, when you exercise, when you eat, how much you sleep and more. It is unreliable to depend solely on your weight to dictate your physical fitness level. And it is unhealthy and unrealistic to expect your weight to remain the same day in and day out! Focus on how your body feels throughout the day in response to the above mentioned factors. This will give you a truer sense of how your body responds to environmental factors and will be a guide for you to test out changes to the factors that you can control. How does your body feel with more sleep? With eating a nutritious breakfast? These are things we can control and are far more meaningful than a digital number.

If you are someone that is constantly monitoring the scale, check in with yourself and ask why this is so important to you. Are you tracking other ways in which your health can be measured? Consider taking note of your stamina during workouts, your endurance, the progression of weights that you are able to lift, the ease with which you are able to navigate daily life, climb stairs, carry groceries, the way your pants feel on you, the way your body physically feels and moves and most importantly how S T R O N G you are!! Mentally and physically!

I personally don’t even own a scale, but I certainly can tell if I’m not my healthiest based on how my body feels, how my clothes fit, the energy levels I have and how my sleep and digestion are operating. I use these things as guides to nudge me back onto the right track. Let’s be honest, we don’t need a scale to tell us if our pants are a bit too snug! And if they are, who cares? We all have the ability to “get back on track” to where we want to be on our fitness journey. And it is a JOURNEY, not a destination. Our bodies are not designed to be perfect, they are designed to seek progress. Our bodies are incredible machines, we adapt and evolve based on environmental factors, so it’s time to appreciate the quality of our bodies, not the quantitative number in pounds they make up.

You are no more worthy if your scale number is smaller than it was yesterday. You are more than simply a number. You are more important than how lean your thighs are and how small your waist is. I recently tried on a pair of ski pants I was sure would fit, and they sure did not! Instead of shaming myself, I told myself that I am athletically built, and those pants are just not made for me!

I encourage you to embrace a holistic approach to your well-being. Perhaps ditching the scale (or at least reducing your reliance on it) will lead you to a healthier, happier and more sustainable approach to your journey. It is time to celebrate victories that don’t end on a scale. Celebrate your body for what it can do for you, how it moves with you, how you strengthen it with your workouts and how you nourish it with your nutrition. True health and wellness goes way beyond the scale.

Disclaimer! This opinion is based on what most people are looking for in their lives: healthier bodies inside and out, positive mindsets and NOT people involved with fitness competitions, medical issues, or dealing with disordered eating.

Yours in health!

Melissa

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