Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Tiny Creatures That Sew Your Clothes Tighter Each Night: Who Are They?

Are you one of those people who obsess over the number on the scale? Do you weigh yourself daily or even several times a day waiting for that number to change? While it is good to weigh yourself from time to time, it can be quite a dangerous habit to get into. The scale doesn't reflect your fitness activity nor does it take into consideration of many other factors in the number reading. Here are three things to keep in mind when jumping on the scale.

1.) Schedule your weigh-ins. Come up with a day to have your weigh-ins and mark it on a calendar. It can be once a week or less frequently. Once you come up with a schedule, only weigh yourself on that given day. Weighing yourself first thing in the morning is usually best before any variations of food or fluid consumption since your weight can fluctuate all day long.

2.) Know that your weight can and will fluctuate 2-4 pounds from day to day. Just because you step on the scale and you are heavier than your last weigh-in doesn't mean that your fitness plan is not working. The scale does not just focus on the weight of fat. Think of what your body is made of on the inside. All of that is added into the number on the scale as well as the water weight that fluctuates constantly. As you are exercising, you are building muscle that aids in fat loss which will give you a larger number since muscle weighs more than fat. Yes a pound is a pound, but the difference is, there could be a pound of fat sitting on a table next to a pound of muscle, and the pound of muscle would look much smaller than the pound of fat. It takes more fat to equal a pound than muscle.

3.) Make sure that the number you are striving for is realistic. Too often people come up with a number in their head that they think they should be at. Maybe at one point in your life you weighed a certain number and are striving for that number now, ten years later. It's important to note that as you may have once weighed less than you currently do now, it may not be healthy or safe to go back to that number. As you grow older, your metabolism slows and many other factors come into play. If you have hit your "happy" weight, switch over to maintaining it and continue to strength train to build muscle as you will continue to lean out.

Don't let the scale get the best of you and throw you off track of your fitness game. Take each day and do your best with your nutrition and exercise. Check your progress with how your clothes are fitting and how you feel each day. It's also a good idea to check your progress with a tape measure to see how many inches you are losing. A tape measure won't lie to you!

If you need help and direction with your goals, remember I'm here for you. Contact me today to get started!