In my journey into better health I have to remind myself to watch out for anything that does not serve me along my way. Recently I added a fitbit to track my daily steps and I found this to be a very useful tool. I can see just how active or lazy I was in a given day. Do I really need to have a gadget on my wrist to inform me if I was lazy or not?, no but I do enjoy the reminder and I find I feel better when I have walked at least my 10,000 steps. Some days I don’t do as well so I might move more the next but most days I have no problem with 10,000 steps. In short its fun and useful to me, I would not be lost without it but I have it and I will take the little atta boy it delivers on a good day.
Now comes a subject touchy to many of us and I have decided today its time to step off the scale. The common bathroom scale has some valid points as a reference guide but it does not tell the whole picture. It will tell you how much you weigh at this given point in your day. I have weighed myself several times in one day (absurd when I think about it out loud) and I have seen almost 10lbs of difference in a day. Down 3lbs and I feel great,gain back a 1lb and my mood is shot for the rest of the day. I am a very sensitive person and so I have come to terms with the scale just does not serve me. I have seen so many examples where the numbers just don’t add up to what is really going on. I have added kettle bell work outs to my life and as I add muscle I am trimming down more and weight seems to be the same. Less fat more muscle, clothes are loose,I feel stronger so why should I bother anymore with this wee machine??!!
I have problem areas of too much fat around my stomach (love handles) but I do take a tape measure and check that once a week. Now this is a tool to pay attention to, measure your widest area around your belly once a week, men should be under 40 inches and women under 35 inches for better health. I know at one point my belly was something like 58 inches and now thanks to paleo eating and primal workouts my gut is around 42 inches. I have away to go but I am no longer going to judge my health by the number on the scale. I feel the same way about age, If we did not have calendars what age would you call yourself? I feel very young at 50, I remember thinking that thirty was a very old age at one time, then I turned 30 and it was just another day. I look forward to improving my health and my mental well being, so every now and then I stop and look about and see what works for me and what does not. Make a check list perhaps of your daily habits an see if they are good for you.
I’m spring cleaning my life, I no longer want to have burdens that pardon the pun weigh me down. So for me its time for the scale to go, I was going to make a big deal of when I dropped below 200lbs but I am choosing to live in the present and celebrate each day that I am doing my best.
Wishing everybody the best in your search for what is healthy and I hope my little insights help someone out, I know I stand by the thought of challenge everything you are told and find out for yourself.
Peace and love all!
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