Some fitness advice would have you believe that scales are the holy grail of progress measurement, but we’re here to tell you that that’s not the case!
Contrary to popular belief, scales aren’t the best way to measure all your hard work and ensure progress. In fact, they can go as far as making you feel discouraged and part of why you give up. The numbers you see on the scale can indicate a variety of things. From water retention to muscle loss, your scales make it hard to see the bigger picture, something which is essential in our quests to be the healthiest versions of ourselves possible. All that should matter is that you’re healthy and happy in your own skin. To achieve these goals, there are much better ways to measure your progress than by using scales, and we’re going to tell you three of our favourites!
Take Progress Pictures
We all have days when we don't feel our best when it seems like putting on a smile and taking a picture of our bodies is the last thing we want to do. But trust us when we tell you it will be so worth it in the end. If you choose to implement this into your routine, you won’t regret it. There’s nothing more powerful than a visual aid and with this method, whether you stay consistent with it or not, you’ll be able to see a difference between two pictures side by side in a way which provides more clarity than your scale ever would.
Retesting Your Personal Bests
Whatever your favorite form of exercise is, it gets easier over time. With consistency and practice, you’ll be able to smash your own personal records over and over. When you’ve advanced past a previous best, after a period of time of your choice, we encourage you to revisit it and try again. By trying your old personal best a little while after moving on from it, you’re able to feel exactly how much easier it is to perform the movement, and how much stronger you have become. We would be hard-pressed to find something more empowering than feeling yourself growing stronger!
Use A Tape Measure
Remember what we’re about to tell you like it's the gospel. You will lose inches more than pounds. Everyone is different, of course, and everyone’s bodies are different. But as a general observation, if you’re combining strength training with cardio, you will build muscle whilst losing fat. A pound of muscle is less voluminous than a pound of fat, and so even though it weighs the same, it takes up much less space when built on your body. In doing so, you will lose more inches than pounds.
There you have it, three reasons to throw out your scales, and three ways to measure your progress in a way which will do wonders to empower you and inspire you to keep pushing yourself to achieve the most you possibly can.