Giving up my own scale and focusing on other measures of success has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. Really, all the number on the scale can tell you is what your relationship to gravity is. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle you’ve been building or how much your mood and energy levels have improved as a result of the healthy changes you’ve been making. It doesn’t take into consideration what time of the month it is for women or how much water you might be retaining from a high sodium meal the night before.
I think we should look at our health and perspective journeys from a different perspective. I once heard an anecdotal story about archery that’s stuck with me for quite some time. The person who was first learning how to shoot his bow and arrow kept missing the target. He started to get frustrated. Then his teacher told him ‘the reason you keep missing is because you’re focused too much on the target and not enough on your actions’.
Once he began concentrating more on how he held the bow and other aspects of his technique, his aim improved.
Instead of focusing on the target (which is often a number on the scale), it’s much more rewarding and empowering to focus on the actions we take on a day to day basis.
Some things we can focus on:
- Drinking more water
- Increasing our intake of vegetables or decreasing our intake of sugar
- Including more cardio or strength training in our weekly exercise routines
- Workings towards increasing the amount of weight we’re lifting or the distances we’re running by making incremental changes that will get us there.
- Using daily affirmations or visualization to help us reach our goals
- Taking time to show gratitude for everything that’s going right in our lives – a more positive mindset leads to reduced stress and more productivity in everyday life
We don’t have control over how fast our bodies let go of weight or drop inches. What we do have control over is the actions we take to live healthier lives and how much we let ourselves love the journey.
By: Kayla Van Egdom
