I see it ALL over the the place these days, especially as summer approaches – Lose Weight Now, Get Your Summer Body in 6 Weeks or Shed Those Last 10 Pounds Quickly! You know what I’m talking about ….I’m sure you’ve seen these ads. It’s all derived around exercise and losing weight. What if you exercise and don’t lose weight? Moving your body is good – whether you lose weight or not!
I’m Moving But My Scale Isn’t
The mentality behind exercise is to shed pounds. Let’s be honest – this is usually why people start gyms in January. They want to shed the excess holiday weight and start the new year off with a weight loss goal, which can be a great start to a healthier you! But what if you’re busting your buns at the gym and nothing is moving on the scale??? Do you give up? Or worse, do your drive through your favorite fast food restaurant and throw in the towel? Here’s my answer to those questions. “No!” Exercise is great for the body – it’s freeing your mind, creating great blood flow, raising your heart rate and getting those endorphins flowing! There are so many benefits with exercise – and losing weight is definitely an added bonus but there’s not always that outcome, depending on the many factors in your life.
Stress
Let’s talk about stress. Stress can be a huge contributor in not losing weight – in fact, you may gain weight. Our bodies are so smart. If it detects stress, it will protect us and basically put us in a fight or flight mode. The last thing it’s going to tackle is those extra pounds we want to lose! Our bodies will actually hold on to that weight because it just might need it (fight or flight!). Our cortisol levels increase and we generally get a little “bulgy” around the mid section. This is clearly the opposite of what we hope for, so we get more anxious and more stressed! Not a win-win situation. And in turn, most people reach for food in this state – and it’s usually not the healthiest choice. Right?? I mean, who wants a plate of broccoli when they are feeling stressed out? Give me all the chips and/or ice cream!!! What happens after that indulgence? Yep. More stress and anxiousness because of the guilt you just ate your way to!
Just Breathe
I work with children with special needs. Specifically children with autism. One of our favorite approaches to helping them deal with the stresses of the day, is to breathe. We literally take the time to breathe in and out – deep breaths in ……long and slow breaths out. We do this several times a day, 5-10 breaths. I LOVE what it does for me! I am doing this for my student but in turn, I get huge benefits of refocusing and calming my body. Give yourself that moment to breathe – like really, just breathe! It truly helps turning down that stress level. If at all possible, take a walk while doing so. Sometimes I take the long way back to a classroom so I can regroup, breathe and get fresh air. It doesn’t take much to lower the stress level by just moving, breathing and getting a change of scenery.
The Scale Isn’t The End All
As I said, Moving Your Body is Good – Whether You Lose Weight or Not! Exercising and moving your body can drastically improve health whether the scale moves or not. It can add years to your life! Unfortunately, the diet & fitness industry wants you to think you should be a certain size and/or weight and while we all have our own shapes, sizes and numbers, there’s not a “one size fits all” when it comes to how we look and feel! I’m certain there are many people out there that feel like they should lose those extra 10-20 pounds, that are much healthier than those that wearing a size 0! So understanding that weight loss and health are not always equated is a great start to wellness! And once you feel comfortable with that understanding, you will probably begin to see your own health improve, by mindset alone! The way we feel about ourselves plays a huge role in how our bodies physically react. While the scale might not be moving to those smaller numbers, moving your body and accepting that exercise is good for you no matter what – you are creating a healthier you! Plain and simple.
I cringe when I stand at the grocery check out, looking at all the magazines with all the latest diet trends or fitness strategies to lose that “stubborn” weight. While I understand how that extra weight makes us feel, I feel that these trends to lose weight are short lived and put stresses on our bodies. My thoughts: just eat real food (#jerf) and move your body – however you see fit – walking, yoga, bike rides, hiking or more intense movements if desired, like crossfit, weight training or running ….there’s no one exercise that will be perfect for everyone. We all have our own levels and desires for movement. But I challenge you all to ‘just move’. Whether or not you see the scale moving, you will create a healthier you by moving your body! We weren’t designed to be sedentary and the scale has nothing to do with that – we need movement, no matter what shape or size you are.
So the next time you’re “doing your thing” and feeling good about moving ….sit with that feeling and be proud of yourself. Talk the good talk to yourself and feed your mind positive thoughts. You already did positive things for your physicality, so make sure you keep the momentum going with your thoughts! Your body will thank you for it!
