The Battle of That Dreaded Scale

The scale. (cue disappointing music...) I thought it was time to address this tool of measurement once again, because apparently, too many of us out there can literally have an instant mood change depending on what that number says. 

Let's be really clear. The scale is a measurement of your relation to gravity on any given day. It does NOT measure your self worth, successes, or failures. It shouldn't be a mood regulator. Do you need to re-read that? Why are you letting that ever changing number be a total mind f@#k?!! It is one type of measurement and one tool in the toolbox to use to evaluate your health and nutrition goals.

Many factors can affect that weight on the scale on any given day. I've seen people fluctuate as much as 3-5lbs in a day! So what are some factors that could be affecting that number?

High sodium consumption. Excess sodium consumption causes fluid retention and bloating that temporarily increases body weight. Did you go to town on the chips and snacks? If you are tracking your food, you can look back and see what various foods could have been the culprit for you. 

Digestion/gut health. Let's talk poo. ha! Do you have regular bowel movements? What is your fiber intake? If things aren't moving through you regularly, you could be bloated and be weighing yourself down, LIT-ER-ALLY.  

DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness). You know when you've had an intense work out, or it's been awhile since you've been training, and you are sore AF??? Like having to brace yourself to sit on the toilet sore?? ha, ha, ha! (where are those handrails?)

DOMS occurs when there are microscopic tears in the muscle + lactic acid. Water retention occurs because the body is replenishing glycogen stores in the muscles in order to repair itself.

Females-hormonal changes throughout cycle. Ladies, you should know your bodies. Depending on your cycle, you may notice bloating/weight gain at certain times of that cycle. I typically gain 1-2 pounds every month during this time.

Hydration levels. This one is BIG! Are you getting the recommended daily fluid intake for your activity level? Half your bodyweight in ounces. If training, half your bodyweight + 15 oz. 

If you're dehydrated, you aren't able to flush everything through the body. You can be bloated, backed up, and that can be reflected on the scale.

The scale can be a useful tool to be aware of trends and correlate events that could affect that number on that particular day. It can also be a very motivating tool and eye opening for some, so don't toss it just yet.

There are several other ways of measurement to evaluate if your nutrition plan is working and helping you towards your health goals.

1. How are your clothes fitting? Looser? More snug? Maybe they didn't shrink in the dryer :). Do you take measurements? How about progress pictures? That bathroom selfie doesn't have to be vain. Use it as a tool to measure progress.

2. Energy levels. Do you feel like you have more energy than normal? Not dragging or NEEDING that afternoon caffeine fix? How's your mood? When you're getting quality, balanced nutrition for you, in addition to the appropriate vitamins and minerals, your energy levels can sky rocket.

3. Sleep. How's your sleep quality? Are you feeling well rested? Getting enough hours at night? Waking up ready to attack the day? Sleep is critical for proper recovery- mind, body, and soul. Let's icksnay the late-night binge TV watching. (GUILTY here!!!)

4. Performance in training. Are you feeling stronger? More endurance? Not as sore? It's amazing how we measure if a workout was hard enough, depending on how sore we are. When you have positive nutrition habits in place, you should experience better recovery. Many times you will feel like you can do more work in training because you have recovered so quickly. Can we say GAINZ?!!

Let's try to shift the mindset on the use of the scale. It is one form of measurement, and surely not the most comprehensive unit to use. Let's look at the whole picture, evaluate your individual goals, and utilize appropriate and healthy forms of progress measurement.

More Isn't Always Better

I'm kind of a full speed ahead gal. If I have goals, tasks, aspirations, it's usually always one speed, full throttle ahead, usually at light speed. Determined. Focused. Check it off the list! Git r' done!

In my now older, more life experience stage (ahem!), I've had to learn, somewhat the hard way, the damage that can occur from always moving at that pace...

Going H-A-M on that workout (if you don't know HAM, then look it up)! Add another workout day to the week! More cardio. Or even better, throw in a 2-a day!

Ahhhhhhh! Get hurt. Get sick. Get frustrated. Get mentally taxed.

Full speed ahead again. Eat Paleo. Cut calories. Only organic. No artificial anything. But "I make clean/healthy choices!!!"

HALT again. Nothing's working. Don't see any change. More frustration.

Is there a common theme and habit of going hard, brake, going hard again, brake?? A cycle of stop and go always tripping you up??

There are many out there that feel that doing MORE is the answer to their stalls, setbacks, and speed bumps. They throw all their energy, efforts, and time, at their health & nutrition goals. It can be easy to get lost in the determination and work done to reach those goals.

I am hear to tell you that focused effort is great and necessary, but we must find BALANCE in our commitments so that we don't burn out on the effort, hurt ourselves, and negatively affect our health. I've been on the negative side of all of these. It truly took me going to a mentally dark place before I could take some time to reflect, evaluate, and find a balanced plan that works well for me long term.

You NEED proper RECOVERY. Many of us don't allow ourselves adequate recovery from all the stressors we put on ourselves. Under-recovery can be one of the biggest hurdles to reaching and maintaining our goals. We all need adequate recovery in our sleep, nutrition, and exercise. If not, our nervous systems get taxed, cortisol levels remain elevated, and negative metabolic changes occur that can be severely damaging. Your body is extremely efficient and can handle a large workload, but eventually, it WILL break down and work against you if you don't treat it right. Don't let that happen!

Can you relate to any of the above? Here are some tips to make real change and resolve some of these issues.

• Get REAL with yourself with some self assessment and evaluation. 

Ask yourself, why are you doing this? What are your goals? Be very clear on why you are making the choices you are. Have clarity in your 'WHY'.

How does it make you feel? Are you always tired, irritable, hungry. Are you constantly in pain or injured? Is your energy dragging regularly? Do you have constant gut problems? Is sleep a regular issue?

How's it working for you? If you're constantly doing MORE, and not moving forward, then maybe it isn't working. If what you're currently doing isn't working, maybe you need a different approach or plan? Maybe you need someone alongside you to give you a different perspective?

• Plan for recovery.

Make a conscious effort to plan in your recovery. It doesn't just naturally happen. You need to make the choice to take care of yourself and get the rest and recovery your body needs. This includes sleep, nutrition choices, and training schedule.

Include active rest. Get out of the gym every once in awhile. Go take a week or weekend vacation that doesn't include training or macro counting. Go on that date night with your significant other without thinking about the nutrition content on the menu. Go to the park and just PLAY with your kids or your dog. Sleep in Sunday and just have a lazy day enjoying LIFE. Allow yourself to have some FUN!

• Learn to listen to and trust your body.

This has always been a hard one for me. It's taken a LONG time to put this into play, but it is so worth it! Some of us get used to going so hard and hammering away on our bodies. No pain, no gain?? Not really. Your body is really good at communicating when enough is enough and you've pushed too hard. Don't overlook the pain & overtraining symptoms and tune out the signals that shouldn't be ignored.

Truly, sometimes LESS is MORE. When you put in consistent, quality effort over a long period of time, it is much more sustainable than perpetual cycles of all-out and brake.

A Transformation Journey

Sometimes it takes some tough love and reality to truly see what you do not see. Like really ripping those blinders off, and showing some truth!!! No foggy goggles.

I recently celebrated my 4-0 birthday and it was such a culmination of thoughts and reflections. I feel like when you get to this point in life, you hopefully have some solid life experience to reflect on where you have been and then look forward to where you are going. I can honestly appreciate my story, my past, my life experience, for what it is, and I look forward with hope, optimism, and comfort that I know there is much greatness to come as well.

Birthday vacation enjoying the ocean & dunes.

A year and a half ago, I was not in that happy place. I had a HUGE Pacific Northwest-type gloomy cloud that had been hanging around for some time. Some of you know a little more of my story, but if not, read here or watch this video. (You can check out more on the blog). I had let an injury affect me in many parts of my life, but it was really a culmination of several factors that all merged together. Not a high, bright period along the life timeline.

Then there was a moment where I realized, enough is enough! I have too much to offer those around me with my God-given gifts, and they are not being utilized because I had allowed myself to be overwhelmed by life funk! My physical health wasn't optimal, and therefore affected my mental and spiritual health. All were running on empty, because I had allowed that to happen. I felt some heavy weight weighing on my overall general health, literally and figuratively. It was time to suck it up, change my mindset, and do the WORK to get back to finding a positive and good balance in my health.

So here I am eighteen months later, a transformation that is not only in my physical health, but overall general health that's mind, body, and soul. I am in a great spot and now feel it's my duty to pay it forward. It feels great to be able to provide value to others, and help them reach their optimal health goals. Look good, feel good, do good!

Littlest & I always dancing around being goofballs.

Make the conscious choice to choose happiness. Find the courage to get beyond those insecurities that are holding you back from being YOU!!! It will take WORK, but you are SO WORTH it! You were designed by God to share your individual gifts with everyone out there. We all need to share more of our individual gifts. Be your BEST YOU!!! Do YOU. Don't try to live up to someone else's standards or ideals. What do you need to do to invest in yourself? How can I help?

Sometimes the Journey is Longer than Expected

Underoos make everything better!

Some of us are always working on our inner superhero by developing our best selves. I'm still trying to refine my status! #superherowins Shortly before I turned 30, I set the goal of being in the best shape of my life by that birthday. Growing up I had always been athletic and I was fortunate enough to be a college athlete. Those were some of my best fitness days of my life. When I made that goal, I had recently had my second baby, and we knew we were done having kiddos. I had officially retired from teaching about a year previous. My new job was being a full time momma, and I felt I had realistic goals of getting in the best shape of my life with a more 'flexible' schedule since I wouldn't be working outside the home. Well if you are a parent, whether you are working outside the home or not, we know the schedule isn't that flexible at all, and I quickly learned that this would be a season of life where I must be flexible with my goals. We all tread through this stage of life differently. I definitely didn't think it would take as long as it did to attain my goal.

With my big goal documented & noted, I really wanted to set myself up for success and I hired a personal trainer to help me get closer to my goals (Thanks Troy! You were a catalyst along the journey.). A coach needs a coach too. I spent several years at my local YMCA, working on my fitness goals and toting my kiddos to the daycare and kids' activities, so momma could have her time. With my degree in physical education & health, I was also inspired to become a personal trainer myself and joined the team at the YMCA. I was then fortunate enough to coach bootcamps on my own and to continue to bring fitness to others. It worked for that season of life and I was excited to help others along in their fitness journeys! Age 30 came and was gone just like that.

I went to graduate school for a year so that I would have potential opportunities for when my kids were older and I was ready to go back into the 'professional workforce.' I quickly realized that grad school and young kiddos were not a good combination for ME. My priorities had changed and the commitment of school was not as important in this season of life. Then my family experienced a big move from the Seattle area to Northern California, back to Seattle, then back to NorCal. We are a little crazy when it comes to moving ha, ha! That's another story...

Before married & babies, after 2nd baby, 1 yr into CrossFit

I continued to work toward my goal of being in the best shape of my life by 35, then found CrossFit. Talk about a huge fitness shift! I thank God I found this type of fitness. I thought I was in decent shape before, but truly found the athletic stimulus that I needed again. Something that was different every day and had a variety of fitness components all in an hour class. Totally different from the regular gym routine and it works for my personality and needs!! Plus, it was WAYYY better on my old knee injuries from high school and college. Higher intensity, less time pounding, modifications as needed!

Then another hiccup, bump in the road two years later. Probably due to my compensating movement patterns with knee issues, I suffered a fairly significant back injury that I dealt with off and on for two years. Finally on the other side of recovery from injury, I truly reflected on my purpose, goals, and LIFE! Why was I making the choices and choosing the behaviors that I was living out? Once I had clarity in that, I was truly recommitted to the original goal with the right intentions and focus. A little wisdom comes with age ha, ha!! I realized I needed some help with reaching my overall health goals, and I hired a nutrition coach. Best investment I have ever made, as it has been a game changer for where I am in life right now!

High school reunion, friends wedding, Thanksgiving 2015

Bodies are weird! Like truly weird AF, yet also truly fascinating. I have been working on this science experiment with my fitness and body for almost a decade now trying to be in the best shape of my life!! Your body goes through weirdness with pregnancies, stress, hormones, injuries, age, etc. Some navigate this rather easily, and for others, it can be a real roller coaster of change. I've never really dealt with 'weight issues' but at 5' 10, I can carry extra insulation better than some. Some stages of life, I would be considered 'fit', and other stages I would be softer than I would've liked. Then there were also stages where it was important to be a little more 'softer' because there were little humans that I was producing and then feeding! And don't get me started on the back injury. That was just a mind f*&% in all areas of health!

I will be the big 4-0 in about a month. I can truly say that almost a decade later, I am in the best shape of my life! Nutrition has truly been the biggest component to the changes in body composition and overall health. I've always known it would be, but didn't make it a priority until I was ready for significant change. Nutrition + CrossFit for the win! It took a little longer than expected to achieve my goal (like a DECADE!), but I wouldn't change this journey. And more importantly, my overall health is the best that it has ever been! Mind, body, and spirit!

Don't give up on your goals. They can still be the same or morph and adapt to life. Just realize that there are seasons of life. Different priorities come and go, and sometimes there are hurdles along the road. Enjoy the journey! The process and life's lessons learned along the way are more important than the timeline. The goals will always be there! Be ok with being patient though the process.