Join Me in Getting Off the Scale For the Next Month!! Thoughts on Aging Better

This week I made a decision:  I am staying off of the scale for the next 4 weeks.  I will not concern myself with the scale, measurements, or any of that.  I am going to focus on eating well, enjoying my workouts, and feeling alive

A few weeks ago one of my favorite physique competitors posted this picture.  I found it to be so inspirational.  I’ve been really discouraged at seeing my weight about 15 pounds heavier than when I started this “You wanna be a figure competitor experience”.  It’s really been frustrating to feel like I’m working towards an exercise in futility.

Last week I attended a workshop about Why Diets Fail women and it was eye opening to say the least.  Without delving too far into the material, I will say this.  Women become frustrated and don’t do well when the focus is simply on numbers and rigid rules.  Is this not a true statement?  Our bodies fluctuate way too much and plus our brains just don’t respond well to that type of stimulus.  That’s why all of this weighing, measuring, meal plans, scales, measurements, and such get old after a while and women go nuts.  It’s just not how we are meant to function.

This gave me a lot to think about/  I’ve changed training philosophies and I’m relying on biofeedback for my nutrition and diet. I no longer crave things like Quest Bars and have gone back to making protein bread, drinking protein smoothies for breakfast, and eating a holistic diet. I feel way better and my pants are going over my behind again.  All of that in just two weeks but one week the scale would go down a pound and the next week it would be back up a pound and that’s when I would get so discouraged about the whole thing even though I feel better.

Something had to change and you know one of my favorite sayings:  It’s time to say and do something different.

So I decided to challenge myself:  No weighing myself for the next 4 weeks.  None.  No scale and no measurements.  If I want to see how things are going, then I can use my trusty pair of pants.

Will you join me?  Will you join me in deciding to get off of your scale, stop the measurements, and resolve to eat well, exercise, and feel alive?  Let me tell you something being a slave to that scale can also be a source of stress and anxiety.  Stress and anxiety cause weight gain due to hormones and the way you metabolize food.

4 weeks…No scale and see what happens.

Ah another year of life in the books.  I’m thankful to be in my 30’s, thriving, and feeling alive.  If you had known me 20 years ago we both would have been shocked at how things have turned out but I had this life in mind the entire time.  It just took me some years to get it off the ground.

In any case as I keep learning, I’m not in my 20’s anymore and that means that I need to train smarter.  I need to rest and recover when necessary and I am taking 8x Mr Olympia Lee Haney’s mantra to heart:  STIMULATE don’t ANNIHILATE the muscle!  It’s so true.  He’s in his 50’s still looks great and is not falling apart like some of his contemporaries.

As I get older, I’m only going to get louder about this stuff.  I’m so tired of people (women in particular) feeling limited and stifled by age.  There are ways to slow down the aging process.  Fresh Foods, Strength Training, and Training Smart are just three of them.

Mindset is critical.  “You’re only as old as you feel” I know several people who are in their 80’s and 90’s who live by that credo and it’s the truth.  If you think you’re old and tired, then you will act that way.

We don’t exercise as we get older only to look a certain way but we exercise and are active so that we can enjoy our lives and not spend it confined to bed or unable to do the simplest tasks.

Doing Scott Abel’s Hardgainer Solution which is working the total body 5x per week.  I do 3 on/1 off.  It’s high reps, high sets and while it’s marketed for people who want to gain muscle mass, in his book about Metabolism, he recommends it for those of us who have experienced a slowed metabolism and need to get things going again.  5 total Body workouts per week = Major calorie burn.  Scott Abel is a fan of stimulate don’t annihilate as well so the goal is not to go to failure.

I’ve raised Cardio to 20 minutes but it doesn’t really feel like it because it’s either interval training, jumprope, or some sort of circuit I’ve made up to keep myself entertained.

I am noticing some changes and I really am encouraged.

Until the Next Time!  Get off the scale!!! Stay tuned for my new website coming soon!