Ignore the Scale

Pep Talk

Yes, you read that right.  I am not a big fan of the scale to measure health and fitness progress.  Unfortunately, it has become the classic barometer for determining success because it is easy to hop on the scale and read a number that we assume provides us with tangible feedback.

However, the scale does not give you the whole story.  Your WEIGHT and your BODY COMPOSITION are two very different things. 

• Weight = how heavy your body is.
• Body composition = the ratio or percentage of how much lean mass vs. fat you have on your body.

Technically, a person who weighs heavier than another person could have a lower body fat percentage than them, meaning that they are actually leaner.  However, if they went strictly by the scale number, they could get a false interpretation of their progress.  They might weigh more because they have more muscle on their body, and muscle works for you -- it gives you strength, tone, and burns calories.  Muscle is good.

What if you don't have a body composition scale to give you the whole story?  Go by your tape measurements.  Generally speaking, a woman will not go up in tape measurements and be losing fat.  The reverse is also true for the most part -- you will not go down in tape measurements and be gaining fat mass (notice that I said FAT, not WEIGHT...an important distinction).

Regardless of any of these forms of progress measurement, the most important barometer is how you FEEL.  If you are feeling good, that usually means you are doing positive things for your body, such as healthy eating and exercise.  If you feel bad, it's probably because you are missing your workouts and eating junk food.

Focus on feeling good first, and everything else will fall into place.

Challenge Workout

Complete 3 rounds of the following exercises as quickly as possible, taking breaks as needed:

• 10 Triceps Pushups (on feet or knees)
• 20 Sumo (Wide-Leg) Squats
• 30 Crunches