I’ve talked many times about how I don’t think that the scales should be your only form of measuring your progress, yet time and time again I see people stressing about what the number on the scales says. I want you to stop stepping on the scales every day and take notice of your Non-Scale Victories (NSV)!
What the heck is a non-scale victory I hear you ask? A NSV is something which demonstrates that you are making improvements! NSV can be a number of different things and a non-scale victory to you may mean nothing to someone else, it’s completely personal.
Some Non-Scale Victories include:
// Measurements
I find that getting your measurements taken is a better yard stick to measure your progress than the scales because you can be working hard converting fat into muscle, yet the scales keep reading the same thing. Having less fat and more muscle IS a good thing! For starters, muscle burns more calories at rest so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn while you are doing nothing! I’d highly recommend doing your measurements with a tape measure and tracking your progress every month or so to see how you are going. Another form of measurement I like to do is body fat testing, I don’t think you should read much into the numbers but seeing that your total mm of fat and body fat % is going down is definitely a good measure of whether or not you are making progress.
// Clothes Fitting Better
This one is super easy to keep track of! Do your clothes feel like they are getting tighter, looser or staying pretty much the same? If they are getting tighter then you may need to step back and take a look at your current lifestyle and see what changes can be made. If they are staying the same this may be a good thing depending on your goals. If your clothes are starting to fit better, then you can know for sure that there are positive changes occurring in your body and you should keep doing what you are doing.
// Getting off Medication
Are you a slave to medication? If the rattle of pill bottles each morning (or night) is normal for you and you managed to decrease or completely come off medication once you have been eating well and exercising then this is an incredible result! Your body being able to do what it should be doing by itself is an incredible feat and something to be incredibly happy about! Of course there are some circumstances where this may not be possible, but the aim should always be to reduce medications as much as possible where it is safe to do so. Please ensure you consult your medical professional before reducing or coming off any medications.
// Feeling Fitter
We incorporate an element of fitness testing into all of our Bootcamp intakes because it is a fantastic way to assess whether or not your fitness is improving! If you are feeling fitter then you are definitely doing something right, it’s not always about what a number on the scales says, but if you are able to walk around for longer, run around with your children or just participate in a sport for longer without feeling as breathless, these are all signs you are improving.
// Feeling Stronger
Feeling stronger is something I have always focused on, even when I first started going to the gym. There are no downsides to being stronger (except maybe that people might ask you to carry heavy items more often ;)), being stronger can help you out in everyday life as you can move around easier, pick items up easier and general find everyday life easier. The stronger you are, the less effort it can take to do everyday tasks such as picking the kids up or cleaning the house. Focus on increasing the weights you use for your workout every week so that you are constantly challenging yourself and you will soon find your strength increasing dramatically.
// Feeling More Confident
One of the best NSV’s you can have is to feel more confident! Feeling happier and confident in your skin, feeling confident to wear whatever you want to wear. Feeling more confident in life in general, feeling confident enough to walk into a fitness class without a friend with you, confident enough to go shopping by yourself, confident enough to wear a bikini on the beach. It doesn’t matter which level of confidence you have, increasing your confidence in any way, shape or form is a good thing!
What is your most recent (or most vivid) Non-Scale Victory?? – Comment below and let me know, I love hearing from you!
I think I have an interesting relationship with my scales. I have fitbit scales so they measure body fat % as well. Also, I get a weekly average weight reading (without having to do any maths myself). So I weigh daily but I pay attention to much more than the numbers. I think about how I FEEL. When my nutrition is good, I have more energy and I don’t feel bloated anymore! I actually do need to lose weight so I guess that’s why the scales are in my life, but I want to do it the RIGHT/BEST way. I want to burn fat and get muscle, not just starve myself. If I don’t lose weight one day/week, I can usually rationalise that I’m still doing well by checking my NSV vitals and keeping myself accountable.