When weight loss is your number one goal, we often focus solely on the
number on the scales to measure our success. However, it’s important to celebrate the small stuff and look at different ways to track your progress – measurements, photos, clothing AND the scale!
One of the ways 12WBT encourages this is through our pre-season tasks, in particular Fitness Test / Measure Up. This task gives you a starting point to work from at the start of your journey. You’ll establish a start weight and measurements, your initial Fitness Score and some individualised fitness components.
All of these measures are such a key part of tracking and celebrating your progress!
Let’s break it down…
When you stand on the scales you see one number, a total amount of “weight” per se, and not a breakdown of your body composition, which would normally include your muscle mass, fat mass, bones, organs and water. Whilst this number is an indicator of progress, it’s not the final determination of success or failure on your journey.
This may leave some of you feeling frustrated and downtrodden, as even though you’re following the plans as you should be; you’re working hard and resisting temptations, you’re not seeing a lot of change on the scales. Aargh!
The great news is that while you may have some weeks where you might
not see a lot of progress on the scale, you may be noticing other factors that indicate progress – your clothes are fitting better, those work pants have a little more room, you can do up an extra notch in your belt or that fitted jacket finally fits! You might even notice smaller changes like sleeping better or clearer skin, and others may also notice and compliment you too, even though you may not have lost a huge amount of scale weight. Take the compliment and celebrate the small stuff! You deserve it!
So with this in mind you can expand your weekly check-in to include trying on a piece of clothing you want to fit back into, taking progress photos and ensuring that you do your measurements as well as stand on the scale. This should be the encouragement you need to keep going! You’re doing a fantastic job!
My personal opinion…
I am often blown away by some of the mental and physical gains that I see and hear about through the 12WBT program. Men and women who haven’t exercised in years or ever before, being able to achieve amazing physical feats – feeling fitter, running faster, running full stop, graduating from push ups on knees, to toes to handstands, chin ups, burpees and many more!
This is proof that many other victories can be celebrated once we start to seriously invest in our health. We sleep better, we are more
present with our kids and in our relationships, we are calmer, less anxious, more tolerant, we breathe more, we are less stressed, we are more confident, we have more energy, we are more resilient and we really start to FEEL the difference that our journey has made.
So as you can see, it’s SO important to celebrate the small stuff! From the scale number, the fit of your clothes and changing measurements to achieving incredible fitness feats and non-scale victories. It’s not only about the numbers but it’s more about the way fit and healthy makes you feel!
Be sure to toot your own horn, blow your own trumpet, and be damn proud of what you are accomplishing every step of the way!
If you want to start your fitness journey, join 12WBT today – www.12wbt.com
