Have you ever been crushing your fitness, eating foods that make you feel good, and just overall been feeling like the badass that you are, only to step on the scale to feel defeated because the number either stays the same or goes up?
This happens ALL THE TIME to my clients. They're consistently moving their bodies, working on their nutrition, and making some serious changes in their lives, only to feel like a complete failure because the scale doesn't reflect all the hard work they've been putting in. That number can completely derail someones day, and I'm frankly tired of it!
I need you, scratch that, you need you to stop basing your self worth on those numbers.
Seriously, it needs to stop!
You will never feel good about yourself if all you do is base your progress on the scale.
Your weight is just one factor of your overall health, and honestly, I'd say it's not a very accurate factor. Your weight fluctuates anywhere from 1-5lbs on any given day, and numerous factors can go into those numbers (seriously, I weighed myself first thing after waking up then again after having a bowel movement and lost 5 lbs!)!
-What you ate yesterday and how your body has reacted to it (hello bloating)
-Where you are in your cycle (hello bloating again)
-How intense your workout was (muscles are swole, bra)
-How much water you drank
-Your stress levels
While you can control, to a certain extent, all of those factors, you can't always control the number that will flash back at you from your scale. Controlling ALL of those factors every single day would take over your life, which for some people is totally fine. Take bodybuilders for example; they spend the 12-16 weeks leading up to a competition monitoring every single thing they put into their mouths, every calorie burned during their (minimum) hour of cardio every day, plus their 5 days of strength training- all so that they can look shredded on stage. It's a science to get down to such low body fat, a science that takes a lot of experimenting and even more dedication. I commend those on stage, they work so incredibly hard to get there- but it's not necessarily healthy and it's definitely NOT sustainable to stay at that weight and level of shreddedness.
So, as someone who isn't competing in bodybuilding, why do we put so much dang emphasis on that number?
Why do we let it ruin our entire freaking day?
Because, most of us, have been told that we need to lose weight to be beautiful, healthy, and accepted our entire lives. We need to be a certain weight compared to our height to be "healthy". I come from an industry that makes money off of weight loss, and I'm tired of it. I'm calling bullshit on the whole idea that your weight defines who you are as a person. If I let my weight dictate who I am, I would be freaking miserable because I sit somewhere between 160-165lbs and am 5'6ish- which is considered overweight borderline obese according to my BMI.
So, I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell my clients: I don't care how much you weigh. I don't care how much you weigh because it doesn't change the person that you are. Your weight is a direct relationship between your body and gravity. You are not the number on the scale. Your weight and appearance are the least interesting things about you (thank you MegSquats for that quote).
I'm more interested in how you show up every-dang-day.
Do you intentionally move your body?
Are you aware of your thoughts?
Do you eat foods that serve your body and mind most of the time? Do you enjoy foods that feed your soul?
Are you kind to yourself and others?
Are you putting in the effort?
Are you making progress?
Remember, the only things you can control are your attitude and your effort.
You can't control the number on the scale, but...
You CAN control how you think about that number.
You CAN control how you show up every day.
So, the next time you go to jump on the scale, remember that that number doesn't make you a good or bad person. That number might not reflect the amount of effort you've been putting in. That number is just that, a number. YOU get to decide how it's going to make you feel, and I hope that you'll decide to stop allowing it to rule your life, because you are making so many amazing changes, I know you are! It's time to celebrate that shit!
Love,
PS: If you're tired of feeling defeated because of a number, or want to learn how to get out of your own way and become the best version of yourself, send me a message. I help women every day challenge their thoughts, push past their own boundaries, and live their best life. I'd love to chat and help you step into your badass self!