 Scales are ok as one measurement of success but only one of many. People who know me well know I have a thing with scales. Before I knew much about them (at all!) I was a chronic ‘weigher’ every single day. I would jump on before every shower in the morning. I based that little number on the scale on how well I was doing in fitness and frankly I am ashamed to admit as well on my general health. I am happy to admit though that I knew nothing back then about scales, what they were measuring and how the number on that scale had absolutely NOTHING to do with my health and my level of fitness! My memories 15 plus years ago would suggest that people in general knew very little about the correlation of ‘weight’, health and fitness…. I could be wrong about this but I am talking from my own experience and point of view- maybe you could comment below and let me know whether it was the same for you or not. Here are a couple of memories I have:
We were a generation (it seemed) obsessed with scales. I hope so much that we have moved on even if just a little as I am certain the obsession with scales has had a really negative effect on people and developed bad relationships with food. Look at the articles below.... none are helping anyones relationship with food or educating them in nutrition whatsoever. Look at the pictures below.... Article 1 - 'How I lost 10lb in 10 days!' It is completely unrealistic and horrendous for your health to lose 10lb in a week. You would have had to have severe water retention to lose that in the first place or just completely starve for a week. Not good. Article 2 - Comparing celeb weights. This article stated, 'Don't compare yourself to celebs'. Actually, by posting pictures of them and their weight, readers will AUTOMATICALLY compare! It is natural! There really is no point to this article! The 'weights' are made up anyway! Article 3 - 'Lose 5lb in 7 days just by getting enough of this weight loss vitamin' this kind of rubbish can be saved for another blog. *face plant emoji !!! I know we haven’t fully moved on and scales DO have their place at times. I still have friends, colleagues and clients who still will state happily ‘I lost 3kg this week!’ after deciding to increase exercise levels and cut down on calories. The next week they may have gained 1kg and it seems like they’ve lost all hope with their healthier lifestyle. ‘It’s not working, I may as well not bother’ are words I have heard and been so frustrated with. So, if you are a ‘weigher’ and you feel that sudden dread before stepping on a scale, if you feel down if the number on the scale has gone up, if you weigh yourself more than once every few weeks, here are things to bear in mind and I hope you can take away something from this blog: 1. They measure your gravitational pull to the earth and not how healthy you are. You can weigh 9 stone but be incredibly unfit, unhealthy, have a high body fat % etc Scales weigh everything included in your gravitational pull – bones, water, muscle, organs, food you ate recently and wastage…! 2. When you initially lose weight on a health and fitness regime after overeating and not exercising for a long time, the initial “weight” loss can be really high. That’s great, expected and never anything to frown upon. The one thing you need to bear in mind is this “weight” can be a huge amount of water retention that the body would have been holding on to. You just need to not expect this much weight loss every week from there on in. You may at times gain ‘weight’ on the scales… there is nothing wrong with that! 3. Scales don’t measure how great you feel although sometimes seeing a number drop can instantly give you a buzz. The only thing is, sometimes that number won’t drop or will even go up. If you weigh yourself every week this could happen so it should just be expected. As I said before I used to be a chronic “weigher”, I have experienced this! 4. When scales don’t go down there are a number of reasons why and it isn’t because you’re over-eating. If you’ve been sticking to a varied nutritionally beneficial diet, balanced with exercise and lots of water, scales still may not drop. That could be because you’re developing muscle tissue. 1lb of muscle and 1lb of fat look very different in terms of space they take up. 1lb of fat takes up a lot more space than 1lb of muscle in your body. Therefore, taking pictures in this case is a MUCH better method of measuring success. When should we be using scales? Doctors use scales to get your BMI measurement. Whilst I also don’t agree with ‘BMI’ measuring, it has got it’s place in some circumstances. (Again, my opinion and happy to discuss in the comments!) Client A Male, 30, 5’10. 100kg/220lb Rugby Player. High amount of muscular strength and muscular endurance. He runs around in games twice a week, goes to the gym 4 times a week, goes running once a week. Classed as obese according to BMI calculations. Client B Male, 30, 5’10, 100kg/220lb. receptionist. Never goes to the gym. Gets 3000 steps a day on average. Classed as obese according to BMI calculations. This is the reason I am not a fan. However, BMI here works for client B, they clearly do need a small intervention into their lifestyle. Client A however will know that a huge percentage of their body weight is in fact muscle and they don’t actually need to worry about changing their lifestyle. These are extreme case comparisons but I hope it enables at least one person to understand that sclales, BMI etc are not completely accurate in predicting how healthy or unhealthy each individual is. I’m not saying ditch the scales entirely (although I would love you to!) it’s just being aware of them, understanding what they are weighing. The best advice I can give is weigh yourself just as a side note. For example if you are female and you started the year as a size 22 and you are now a size 16 you don’t need scales to know you’ve lost excess body fat. You probably feel amazing. The scales may not show much difference but you know what a massive positive difference you have make on your health and your life. Just keep taking pictures, going on how your clothes feel and noticing how GREAT you feel. REMEMBER if you’re losing inches and not losing weight- that is a fantastic thing! ENJOY the process! If you want to join a great, supportive fitness community check out what my group offers here.
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I LOVE the post workout feeling, the feeling that you've got moving, the pumping endorphins, the sweat, maybe you've achieved something you never have before or just simply FEEL better mentally. There are so many reasons to exercise, there are so many benefits.
A regular question or statement I get from people is 'I don't know where to start'. I want to do it but so many things are happening and they are stopping me. Yes, there are so many barriers to fitness, just like anything in life. If we constantly turn around as we hit barriers though we will never get anywhere. You know this already! The subject of motivation and barriers to fitness is constantly on my mind as an instructor as I want to motivate people to come along to my classes or sign up to my online classes. It is my business as well as my belief that the more people MOVE the better they feel. A colleague of mine stated the other day they had done some exercise for the first time in months the day before and they woke up feeling fantastic. There it is right there. Proof! I am certain many people have said this themselves hundreds of times but never kept at it as regularly as they should/could have to continue to feel great. So, what is it that stops people? Most likely over thinking. I am a chronic over thinker in life but with fitness for some reason I don't overthink! I am slowly picking up on ways I think about fitness and transferring these thoughts over into life. I am also a big procrastinator. I will put something off if I am uncertain how to do it. I will clear out every drawer in the house before beginning admin that is actually incredibly important to the running of my business and what helps me to earn a living, I have been reading and listening to some books lately on this subject purely for my own interest. But I am going to translate it into fitness. I have come across two ways recently to tackle 'motivation'. They are really thought provoking and having a positive and productive impact on my life already. 1- The 'Do Something' theory (taken from 'The Subtle Art of not Giving a F***', Mark Manson) 2- Lego block life (taken from an audio book, 'Take Control of your Life', Mel Robbins) Both are worth a read and a listen! If anything they are hugely thought provoking. Lets unravel these.... The “Do Something” Theory This theory can be converted into anything again but as this is a fitness page let’s do a fitness version. This theory is very similar to what we discussed in my previous blog (below this one) in the fact that we shouldn't be looking at the entire end goal or life picture as we imagine it to be once we achieve what we want to achieve. Yes, have the goal in mind but don't overwhelm ourselves into rushing and achieving it straight away. It can seem like an impossible task if we do and we are more likely to give up before we've got going. Imagine you want to be able to run 5km having not ran in 20 years. You would never just go out and expect to run 2km never mind 5km when you start. You would go steadily. I would advise personally to start with simple 1min running, 1 min walking and so on. The couch to 5km plan is readily available to anyone and everyone, give that a go if running is your goal. Many people approach me about losing weight but they lack the motivation. Reiterating what I said in the previous blog; sometimes (most times) motivation will not just happen. We need to physically get out first and eventually motivation will then find us. With the 'Do Something' theory it it is suggested to instead of focus on the 'losing weight' aspect, focus on what you need to do to get there - the small steps. Just “do something” active every day... gradually being more active will be a part of your life, you will start to feel mentally better, more motivation and as long as you have the right intake of calories and generally a great nutritional diet you will naturally lose excess weight. The weight shouldn't be the focus though. The focus should be just simply on doing something towards feeling better. Whilst I am on the subject of making healthier choices in life; these aren't all about absolutely destroying yourself in every gym session and starving yourself into loosing weight. Healthier choices are subtle things such as taking stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving, going for morning/lunch/evening strolls, finding activities where you raise your heart rate that you enjoy and just enjoying the process to a healthier you. Just doing “something”. Making healthier choices nutrition wise is thinking of foods as nutrients and which nutrients your body needs. Don’t look at foods as “bad” just accept they’re less nutrient dense than others. Remember our bodies need more nutrient dense food than the less to function efficiently. Just do “something”, just add in the fruits and vegetables slowly. If you currently have one portion of vegetables a day, look at putting that up to two... then next week up to three. Just 'Do Something' gradually. Lego Block Life Before I start to unravel the lego theory, if you have a busy life audio-books are an absolute godsend! I just put it on when I go out in the car, if I am warming up/cooling down for a workout or even just out walking. I have managed to get through a 9 hour audio-book in less than 2 weeks. It takes me around 2 months to read the equivalent! I have never come across Mel Robbins before last week and I am so glad I have now. I have taken a few things away from this book. The lego blocks are a fantastic analogy to motivating and taking control of life. The theory suggests that you can take control of your fear by thinking of your life as pieces of lego. All different sizes, colours and shapes. Bits of lego can fit randomly together and can form different shapes by connecting bits together. A large shape of lego, for example a house could be that goal to run 5km and improve general fitness levels after not running for 20 years. Instead of jumping straight to the final model of the house you have to piece it together brick by brick. Each brick is measured success: First brick - setting a 5000 step per day count (although a brick before this could be to buy a fitness watch/step counter of some sort). Next brick - increase the step count to 6000 Next brick - Learn about calories and nutrients Next brick - join a fitness class once a week Next brick - Ask a friend to join with you at the gym or get a PT or join 'Anytime, Anywhere Fitness' (had to get it in somewhere ;) ) The bricks go on and on and on. There's no set time for each brick but try to ensure each brick is in place before you start on the next brick. You could be building a number of different lego houses at once just don't go too crazy. Each brick is measured. You know you've hit the 5000 steps because you have a watch that has told you. You know you've joined my group because you're in there. Don't set goals like 'get active'. Be specific. And, be proud of every brick you put down. Don't put a time limit on this. A time limit is unwanted pressure. Enjoy the process of each brick. You can see how that can relate to life. For example when I wanted to re-train as a PE teacher. My first brick was to do some work experience to see if I really wanted to be a PE teacher. Then I spoke to a lot of people about it, looked into courses, had to sort childcare for Georgie, made sure my husband wasn't being posted whilst I trained, ensured we had enough money for it, applied, completed (LOTS of bricks at this stage!) and so on..... So, there you go. Two thought provoking theories on fear and motivation. What are your thoughts? Do you have any more theories that can help people? Feel free to use the comments section below to discuss.  Are you waiting for a sign or for 'Motivation' to drive you towards a goal you have always wanted to achieve? What is stopping you? I will be addressing fear and its correlation to wanting to achieve something in this weeks blog and hope to get you thinking and making small steps towards achieving those goals.
Is fear winning with you? Have you had a goal in mind for a long time? Do you panic and want others to help you overcome your fear, or do you face it alone? Is the thought of accomplishing something difficult pushing you into a state of fear? Pushing comfort zones is the only way we can grow. Fear is good. Fear is growth, but, we need to understand that by overthinking, fear can spiral out of control and actually stop you from achieving a goal. Let's expand.... Life Junctions If you miss a turning on the road it’s not a great feeling. I did it recently out here in Brunei and consequently had to drive another 9km before we could turn around. It is frustrating! This made me think about life. When you get to a certain age you may re-evaluate and look at your life. Did you take the wrong turning somewhere, can we get back to that and re-do it. Or, can we take a new unknown turning? Stepping Towards the Unknown Fear can stop you from taking a path not yet discovered. Just like driving through an unknown area, it can be uncomfortable, overwhelming and can actually make you stop, turn around and re-join the comforting road you have been on for years. What’s holding you back? Just think about what exactly it is that is holding you back from your goal. I bet you anything it is the fear of failure, and also the fear of not knowing where to start! Small Steps Everyday we can feel the fear where something feels tough, hard or overwhelming. Everyone gets this. The fact is that the fear only gets bigger unless you start to take small steps. Instead of looking at the big picture and the end goal, the key is to take the small steps. Fear of the unknown and of us achieving our goals can spiral out of control when it is thought about TOO much.... Slow Down When someone suggests something to you, when you get an idea, when you want to change something...Don’t speed up! This is one of the BEST pieces of advice I have ever been given. SLOW down. As soon as we get something that fears us we tend to speed up. It is a natural response. For example a 30 something admin assistant wants to retrain as a teacher, maybe they have wanted this for years. The fear though, has stopped them because when it comes down to getting started, they over think, they don't know where to start. The excitement and fear can throw them into a spiral and then they put it onto the back burner again. Instead of thinking too much they need to just take one step at a time. What small steps do you need to take NOW, TODAY, to get closer to where you would like to be tomorrow? Don't think about where you want to be next year. Even the thought of a year from now personally sends me into a spiral of fear. I have no idea. We don't know what can happen in a year! Overthinking Just like the quote above suggests, stop waiting for the motivation to arrive. You have to get up and 'do something'. Take those small steps. Agitation and discomfort is not liked by anyone. But we must embrace the feeling if we are going to take steps forward. If you think too big, these feelings will only expand. Re-wire your thinking to see OPPORTUNITIES rather than OBSTACLES. Take that first step and just make it a tiny one. This blog can be in reference to anything in life but as I run an online fitness community platform, I am going to relate it to Health and Fitness. As a huge advocate of healthy lifestyles- mental health as well as physical health, I have changed up my online fitness group to become much more of a community towards helping people achieve their health, fitness and wellness goals. What's New? 1- Weekly 'Pocket PT' post. A weekly post members can comment on with their health, fitness and wellness questions. I am then on hand to answer or discuss these questions and comments at various times during the week. 2- Weekly Challenge! Every week there is now a challenge posted that members can choose to take on for the week. These can be fitness related, health related or wellness related. 3- Weekly Plan Feedback on the group was that people loved the variety of classes available but didn't know where to start. The weekly plan involves 5 sessions that members can all get involved with completing throughout the week. Members are encouraged to comment on the workouts so they can share their experience. 4- Recipe of the Week Every week I will share this on the group. Recipe of the week is also on the website for public use. Within the group, members are encouraged to share their recipes of the week too, to share ideas with fellow members. With over 300 workouts on the group already available, and more being added all the time, what is there NOT to like about it. As well as a fitness session platform geared to suit differing fitness levels and abilities, it has become a great community to be a part of. MORE accountability, MORE support and a MORE holistic approach to improving members lives not just simply through exercise. I have a promotion at the moment ongoing until 20th September. Use the code B2S1920 to get £10 off a yearly or life membership option at checkout here or contact me below for more information. |
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April 2020
AuthorPT, Teacher and Mum. Currently living in South East Asia. Thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. |
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