Don’t let the scales define you!

Sorry for the MIA, my laptop died and I am crap with technology so had to get another one sorted after just about salvaging everything I could.

Anyway, I just want to quickly talk about how the scales WILL fail you (for the most part) during your fitness journey. Don’t let the scales define you and how you see yourself in the mirror. We have all felt a type of way about ourselves and then caught a glimpse in what can only be described as a circus mirror, we know it is a lie but yet we can quite easily convince ourselves that is actually how we look.

When we don’t like a specific part of our body we will often focus in on it and always look for the negative part of our ‘progress’. For example I have a client who has lost 2lbs of scale weight, 6cm off her waist and dropped 2 dress sizes in 8 weeks, amazing right. BUT her issue is that she still hasn’t dropped below ‘her magic number’ of 10 stone, my issue with this is there is no logic to her wanting to be below 10 stone. Other than 12 years ago when she was 20 with no kids and still at uni she was that weight and could fit in smaller dresses.

This is because her bodyfat percentage will have dropped drastically and lean muscle mass will have increased, muscle mass is denser than fat, and therefore can weigh a little more for the space it takes up. So basically 2lbs is not her true fat loss as some of the new muscle gained will have increased her weight. Either way my client should be over the moon with this progress but instead like all of us she chooses to focus on the things she hasn’t achieved and the things she doesn’t like about herself.

Well the reality is as you get older you tend to have more responsibilities in regards to children/jobs/life in general and some of the things you prioritised earlier in your life you can no longer prioritise.

This first hit home for me when I had my daughter, we used to live next door to the gym I worked at and I would train anywhere upto 10 times per week. I had no major responsibilities so I could do this along with eating whatever I wanted and napping when I wanted too. Then we moved house a little further away which reduced the amount of time I would go to the gym and then my daughter came along which was a huge wake up call for me.

Having my own child along with my own business has given me a very tough life lesson, but has enabled me to symphasise and work with people in similar positions to myself more effectively. You will not be able to stick to your plan each week, there will be hiccups out of your control and instead of allowing them to take over you, you need to roll with the punches and adapt.

Those who can adapt to situations are more likely to succeed. I have gone from being incredibly lean (by my standards) to quite ‘buff’ (again for my standards) and now I am most happy in the middle where I feel like I can go for a run if I wanted too, I can do a decent distance on the bike, I can squat/deadlift and bench press a decent amount, but most importantly I don’t feel bad for having the odd beer or sticky toffee pudding.

Morale of the story is, consistency is key and don’t let the scales define you, Be active, Eat healthy and Be happy

If you need any help getting your health and fitness sorted, or you just want a chat :) contact me below!