Not everyone was happy about the decision, but it was one we knew we had to make.
This year at Fitness Evolution we ditched the scale. We no longer weigh or measure clients. We don’t take “before” and “after” photos.
It had become clear the scale was too powerful for most people. Even when we considered all other ways someone could make progress, the scale was always the one given the most “weight.”
For women, especially, we’ve used the scale for years to determine our worth and our value. But that is changing. And we want to be at the forefront of that shift.
Little by little more women are starting to embrace the idea of being more, not less. They are coming to me talking about wanting to get strong or improve their health; they are saying the number doesn’t really matter.
Oftentimes, yes, our clients want to lose weight, too. But they understand this is just one factor in how a healthy diet and regular exercise can improve their life.
We focus on how a client feels, how they move and what they are capable of. Our clients celebrate exciting “non-scale victories” so they can see how much progress is being made no matter their weight.
Example of some ‘Non-Scale Victories’:
- Being able to squat down and stand up from the ground without using your hands or any object for assistance.
- Being able to run further in less time and with greater ease than you could previously.
- Helping your husband move furniture without difficulty, and feeling good when he comments on your newfound strength.
- Carrying all eight bags of groceries into the house … in one trip.
- Going sightseeing on vacation with family and (for the first time ever) not having to stop and rest.
- Signing up for a five mile nature hike without any concern of not being able to keep up.
- Finding your average mile time has improved significantly on your runs when you haven’t even been trying for a new PR.
- Waking up in the morning without the knee/hip/back pain you’ve suffered with daily as long as you can remember.
- Climbing several flights of stairs and not feeling winded.
- Having a new acquaintance compliment you on your muscle definition.
- Shopping for new clothes because your old ones are all too big.
I could go on, but I won’t. I think I’ve made my point.
As you continue on your health and fitness journey, be sure you’re making note of all victories, scale and otherwise. So many of my clients have found areas of their life improved in ways they might never have expected from focusing more on their diet and making movement and strength training a priority.
What’s the number on a scale matter if you look better, feel better, move better and live better?
Weight is nothing more than number. All the feelings and accomplishments you can achieve by getting strong and healthier add up to a whole lot more than that.
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