Non-Scale Victories

How many of you are still stuck on that number on the scale, despite hearing a million times that the scale isn’t everything? Don’t get me wrong; I know how easy it is to get caught up on that number… this is what society has been telling us to do since before we were even born! Of course, losing weight is a numbers game and there is no getting around that, but numbers aren’t everything. When thinking about a fitness goal we often say that we want to “lose weight” or “gain muscle”, but in reality what most of us really want to do is change our body composition. This refers to how muscle and fat are distributed and often involves increasing lean muscle mass, while decreasing fat. Because muscle weighs more than fat, the number you see on the scale may not be moving, but your body is still changing. If all you are focusing on is the number on the scale, it can be easy to get discouraged and give up. This is one of the biggest reasons we encourage our clients to send pictures weekly with their check ins; even if their weight has stayed the same for months, there are most often drastic differences in how they look. Other ways to measure non-scale victories include taking body measurements, paying attention to how your clothes fit, being able to use heavier weight during your lift; and tracking things like how well you’re sleeping, your mood, and your energy level. When you are fueling your body properly and taking care of yourself, there are SO many more benefits then just seeing the number on the scale go down! Everyday is another chance to get closer to our goals and focusing on non-scale victories can help motivate us to keep pushing forward, even when times get tough. Last week, I made it a goal to up my water intake and I noticed that my energy level was a TON better! What is one non-scale victory you had this week?!