A friend asked me a very important question that I’d like to address:
“What are some ways I can keep myself motivated when I’m not seeing results?”
I’ve mentioned this many times before but I think it bears repeating over and over again.
We are way too wrapped up in the small bit of information provided by our bathroom scales! Too many of us depend solely upon the opinion of the bathroom scale for our self-esteem. It is high time we cut that cord. The bathroom scale only gives us our weight. That is just one tiny piece of the big picture and the sooner we all realize that, the better!
First of all, women easily gain and lose the same five pounds month after month with a regular thing called premenstrual bloat. If we pay attention to the scale without considering what day of the month it is, we could be setting ourselves up for failure. I don’t believe in doing that.
Secondly, we all should know that muscle is more dense than fat. That means that body fat that occupies the space of a softball is roughly equal in weight to muscle that takes up the size of a tennis ball. Now stop here and think about this.
A softball sized mass and a tennis ball sized mass but both weigh the same amount in pounds and ounces. Wouldn’t you rather be the tennis ball? You could actually gain a pound of muscle, lose a pound of fat and look like you’ve lost five pounds! I should also add here that good muscle tone gives women a fantastic figure. I think I speak for all of us when I say we want firm gams and not these jiggly, cottage cheese looking things.
So here is one way to keep yourself motivated when you aren’t seeing results:
Stop looking for results only on the scale.
If you’re trying to improve your body and your health, consider taking some of these measurements once a week:
Blood pressure (lower is better).
Resting heart rate (lower is better).
Energy levels (higher is better).
Bodyfat percentage (lower is better).
And my personal favorite: tape measurements. Go into that sewing kit you haven’t opened in years and pull out the fabric tape measure. Now strip down and take some measurements of your bust, waist, hips, thigh (the widest part), calf (the widest part) and bicep (flex it for this measurement).
I guarantee that if you are making any efforts in improving your diet and/or your exercise routine, you will find at least one positive result if you take these measurements every week. Just remember, pounds don’t matter and losing just 1/2 inch is positive progress.
Set yourself up for success by seeing the whole picture, not just the tiny bit that the bathroom scale shows you.