There may be a liar in your house. It could be your bathroom scale. While it may always weigh you properly and give the right weight, sometimes that doesn’t give the whole picture. Sometimes, particularly when starting a program of fitness, checking your weight too frequently can discourage you and even cause you to quit. If any of that describes you, it’s time for a no scale lifestyle.
Your scales can trick you into thinking you’re not making progress.
If a program of regular exercise is part of your fitness routine, as well as a healthy diet, your scales can trick you and make you feel defeated. You might have lost a lot of fat, but put on muscle, which weighs more per cubic inch. A body with mostly muscle and little fat may weigh the same as someone with mostly fat and little muscle, but the muscular body will look thinner and will take a smaller clothing size. It’s time to use measurements as a guide, since the scales may not show your progress.
Getting in shape takes a while and you become accustomed to the changes you see.
If you never looked in a mirror for several months while you’re getting in shape, the minute you do see yourself, you’ll notice the difference. Since the changes are slower and tiny day by day, you often miss how your appearance changes. If you want to get that perspective, start by taking a picture once a month. Do it in clothing that shows your body and in the same place each time. When you start feeling discouraged, just look back at your pictures and you’ll see the difference.
Take a measurement around your middle.
If you want to be healthier, you need to address your visceral fat. Visceral fat collects around your mid-section and is deep fat that crowds your organs and causes serious conditions. If getting healthy is your goal, then your circumference measurement is the most important of all. While you’re at it, record the measurements of other areas, like your upper arms, calves, chest, thighs, hips, shoulders and neck. Track your measurements, taking them once every two weeks to once a month.
- Does your version of a healthier you have lower blood pressure, then track your blood pressure progress. Is it based on having more energy, once a month see how many flights of stair you can take without being winded.
- Are you getting more done in less time? Yes, the fitter you are, the more productive you are. You can measure that productivity by recording how long it takes to do any task from cleaning the house to doing mental tasks, since fitness also boosts brain power.
- A lot of things can cause short term weight fluctuations. Water retention makes a difference and so does the time of day you weigh. Try weighing once every week at the same time of day. Usually, morning is the best time.
- You can track your gains in a number of ways or use two or three types of tracking. No matter how you track your progress, if you’re not seeing results, either you’re not faithful to the program or it’s time to change.