I threw out my scale back when we moved this summer and I have never been happier. Actually, I stopped weighing myself somewhere around the New Year. That number held so much power over me for so long, I realize that now. I was fixated on it saying a certain thing. You know, THAT weight that means you have done it. Lost the baby weight, conquered your younger self’s fears, proved something to yourself that you could do it.
Somewhere in between changing my workout routine last year and really pushing myself, and realizing that my self-worth is not rolled up in a number, I figured it out. What I could DO with my body and how far I could push it began to mean much more than what I weighed. More that a arbitrary number, more than a feeling of dismay over a couple of pounds up after a vacation. I. Am. More. Than. That. Slowly I began to see that the actual number is NOT who I am. Who I am (and who your are), is so much more than that.
You’re ten more pounds on a barbel even if you’re tired.
You’re saying yes to careful eating as much as you can, and saying yes to wine and bread and olive oil as well (because life is too short.)
You’re a dress size up, but feeling stronger daily.
You’re telling yourself, “I am strong over” and over again, even when you want to quit.
You’re doing at 37 what I couldn’t fathom at 27. Or 17.
You’re showing your kids what it means to take care of yourself, inside and out. They are watching.
These are victories that no scale can tell me. I honestly feel that anyone that dedicates a little time each day to their physical and mental health will feel 100% better. Just a little bit helps. Prove to yourself that YOU are worth it, that you can do hard things and that you can accomplish anything you want. Conquering hard things boosts your self-esteem, because you have proven that you can, even when things are hard and inconvenient and NOT doing them sounds easier, you did it anyway. That is a non scale victory.
Tell me, what is a non scale victory YOU have accomplished lately?
