Instead of obsessing over the scale, stay motivated by implementing these four other ways to track your progress.
It’s time to end your love affair with the scale once and for all!
For many people a scale can be a valuable tool to help them on their fitness journey. But for others it can become discouraging enough to completely halt your journey.
And for others it may even be a trigger for unhealthy or obsessive behaviors.
Trust me, I’ve been there too.
I used to chase an unrealistic number, always wanting to lose another 5 pounds.
But after years of beating myself up, I finally realized that what I was chasing was an ideal “look” to my body, NOT an ideal “number”.
What I mean by an ideal “look” is that I wanted less FAT on my body. I wanted more toned and defined muscles, I wanted to feel confident in my clothes. I did NOT necessarily care about a certain number on the scale.
So after years I was finally able to shift my mindset. I was able to STOP relying on the scale, and instead made other goals to work towards.
And you know what?
I was able to FINALLY able to stay consistent and motivated in my workouts and stay on track with my nutrition because I was seeing results!
And today I want to help YOU find a few ways that you can still track your progress without obsessing over the scale.
Ive also created a FREE tracker so that you track your progress without the scale.
Download your FREE Fitness Test Tracker here!
Pictures
As uncomfortable as it may seem to take pictures of yourself when you’re feeling out of shape can be, pictures can tell a completely different story than the scale.
There is NOTHING more motivating than when you look back at those pictures or compare new pictures with old ones.
When you look at the mirror everyday you don’t notice small changes in your body. But when you see the pictures you can really see how you body has changed.
Body Measurements
Invest in a tape measure and take measurements from different areas around your body instead of relying on the scale. Keep track of your measurements in a journal or on a fitness tracker so that you can see measurable results.
Test Your Fitness Level
Instead of relying solely on decreasing numbers, why not try INCREASING certain numbers instead? For example, when you first start your fitness journey (or today if your in the middle of it!) do a little fitness assessment test.
See how many push ups you can do without stopping AND with proper form. Or test how much weight you can lift in a squat or a deadlift. Having a baseline to start with can help give you a goal to achieve that ISN’T based on the scale.
One number you may want to try to decrease is how long it takes you to run or walk a milk. Try doing a 1 mile run test and record your time. After a month retest all of these beginning benchmarks and compare.
Seeing how much faster or stronger you’ve gotten can be super motivating and push you to try and reach goals you never previously thought about.
M=If you need some help with how to test your fitness levels make sure you grab the FREE printable I made for you. (I want to make this as simple as possible for you!)
Download your FREE Fitness Test Tracker here!
The Fit of Your Clothes
When you are in the middle of a fitness/nutrition program, pay close attention to how your clothes fit on your body, as they can be a relative measure of wellness success. Are your clothes baggy or loose? Do you need a belt to keep your jeans from falling down? Is there less “bra fat” bulging out of your bra straps? These are all signs of success without the scale.
Have you ever fallen victim to the scale before? Have you tried any of these ways to measure your fitness instead? Let me know in the comments below!
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