Get OFF the BLEEPIN' scale!

One of the most frustrating things you will ever do on your fitness journey is step foot on that dreaded scale. It starts with the anxiety; "What if I didn't lose anything?" "Oh, I just know those two bites of cake ruined it!" "If I have gained another pound, I QUIT!" You can literally feel your blood pressure rise as you nervously step up on it. Was it one pound down, maybe two? Or worse, was it three pounds up? It's pure torture!! It's time to stop the madness!

Your weight on that scale, as a female, can fluctuate (on average) between 2-6 pounds from first waking in the morning to evening time before bed. I have seen men fluctuate by 10 pounds before and after intense cardiovascular exercise, 10 POUNDS! Your water retenetion, the actual culprit of the fluctuation, is affected by a myriad of things from hormones to stress to high sodium food intake to digestion problems. The real problem comes in when your weight steadily increases over time, instead of staying the same or going down (if you are trying to lose weight).

I am not advocating that you should stop weighing altogether. But, I truly believe you should limit yourself to ONCE PER WEEK, MAX. Otherwise, you are going to go into full on internal warfare with yourself over one or two pounds, and this will, undoubtedly, stifle your fitness journey. It will make you think things like "Screw it! This isn't working!" or "I am working so hard and not getting results!"

This couldn't be further from the truth. Every stride you take in a positive direction is progress! Every clean food you eat instead of a fatty, sugary one is progress! Every time you make it to a workout is progress! Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator is progress!

Use the scale as point of reference my friend, a progress checker if you will. Apart from that, PUT IT AWAY. Pay attention to how your clothes are fitting. Is the waist feeling baggier than it used to? How about those jeans you've been drooling over getting back into for years? Can you zip those up yet? When you turn around to check out your booty, is it higher, tighter, or fitter? Can you finally see a little muscle tone in your arms? Spend time checking out your beautiful body naked and then with clothes on. That's the clearest indicator for me personally, how my clothes fit and how I feel when I see myself naked.

It's a tough journey, but we're all in it together!

Chasity