Look girls, I have had enough! Enough of seeing women standing on a scale and torturing themselves because of what they read. How many of you have your routine of getting on the scale and saying things like, “Well…another 2kg, I should not have had that cake.” Or, “Guess all my working out hasn’t paid off, I am hopeless.” Do any of you ever get on the scale and feel satisfied? Wouldn’t if be wonderful if women could stop torturing themselves with the scale?
I have worked in gyms for fifteen years and have seen so many examples of this self torture. The worst example was of a woman at home in Canada who brought her gorgeous little girl into the change room and literally placed her on the scales. The mother looked at the number and then turned to the girl who was about 5 years old and said, “Well darling we need to get 2kilos off of you.” I was gob-smacked, why should weight matter, ever. This child looked healthy, had radiant skin and a smile to die for, but apparently she needed to lose 2kilos!!!
Life without weighing yourself…could you do it? This act of hopping onto a little white slab started long before we can remember, so for many it will be difficult to break the habit. What if there were no scales? Could you gain your self worth from within? Even as an innocent babe we are measured and weighed. This continues year after year as we attend annual physicals. For myself, every year as a child I would go for my check up and the verdict would be the same. The doctor would say, “Well dear you are 10kg overweight for your height.” And after every visit I would feel horrendous. How many of you have had the same experience? All of this is drummed into our heads at very impressionable ages. We are given a number which does not recognize a spectrum of unique bodies. “You are overweight for your height.” Leaving the Doctor’s office you feel terrible and go on a spree of weighing yourself everyday for months in an attempt to see some changes. Despite your best efforts things don’t change and you feel miserable about yourself.
What does weight really take into account? Our bodies are made up of so many different items. Organs such as the heart, eyes, brain, internal organs keep us alive. Our skin is the largest organ in the body with a surface area of about 25 square feet and weighing 13.2kg. There are 206 bones in the body, weighing in total about 13kg for an average person weighing 72kg. There are 600 muscles that make up 40% of the body’s weight. If the human body were freeze dried like coffee, 90% would be the real you and 10% would be the “little critters” that live on and in us. Water makes up 60% of the adult male body and 55% of adult female. Females have less because on average we have 5% more body fat for child bearing purposes. (Lean tissue has more water than fat cells.) Are you starting to see the picture I am painting?
There are many important areas and portions of the body. All of these components weigh something. Your weight can fluctuate throughout a day and for females over the course of your monthly cycle. Some women have been known to gain 5kg the week before their period and then lose it all over the time of their period. This is build up of blood in the uterus and water as well. This is a natural occurrence for women and needs to happen. But, I would bet money that women who gain quite a bit of weight during their cycle still stress over this and are very hard on themselves. Girls…your body is doing the job it is meant to do! For those of you who feel bloated in the abdominal area you may want to take a serious look at what you are eating and if you are intolerant or allergic to some foods. I advocate abdominal strengthening but that will not make your tummy flat and take the bloated feeling away. If you are taking in foods that are irritating your intestines they will fill up and cause bloating internally. This is why you feel huge and experience “wind”. If you can find foods that your body utilises better you will feel flatter. This does not necessarily mean you will lose or gain weight, you will feel better. Are you still with me? I am trying to show you that a healthier focus in the mind will make you feel better not by what the scales say.
I tell my clients to go by girth measurements and how their clothes are fitting. You can be healthier and feel more toned but weigh more than you think you should. If you didn’t get on the scales would you be happy? To use this method you can have a personal trainer take your measurements and then re-do them in about 6-8 weeks of following a program towards better health. What should the program include?
A program towards better health, which does not include getting on the scales, should include the following aspects: exercise, good nutrition (not a diet, but a healthy plan forever) and lifestyle planning or management. The last item is very important, it will help you to understand your habits and restructure your life to fit a healthier approach. It can also include work on your emotional issues. Sorting out your “Stuff” can work wonders on the health of the body. For this work seek out a life coach or psychologist. You may only need one session to give yourself a kick start and know yourself better. Basically figure out what makes you tick and get out of the fog of daily life. Be a conscious thinker and be in the moment Now all of this may seem overwhelming but what is your priority? Do you want to continue to get on the scales which show you nothing, and continue to torture yourself everyday? Or, do you want to make positive changes and feel great about yourself, finally…To make changes you must take action.
Click on the title of this article and it will take you through to the Positively Slim Nutrition: Blood Sugar Balance Video. Enjoy.
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