Ditch The Scale

I had my yearly physical exam last week and my Dr. could tell that I wasn’t quite myself. Scary when someone who only sees you once a year can tell such a huge difference. Not only wasn’t I my typical bright eyed and bushy-tailed self, I did not want to get on the scale as I thought I didn’t want any more affirmation that I am not in the type of physical shape that I want to be in. I tend to keep looking to the point a few years ago when I felt I was in my best shape in years and I felt happy. But things were different then: different responsibilities, different priorities and a much different schedule. I also think that happiness was just the relief of finally making the change in my life that I so desperately needed. Little did I know the work that lay ahead. I get so frustrated with myself by looking to the past and wanting things to be different as they are now. I do that with a lot of things, not just with my physical body. 

David and I have been talking lately about giving up the whole getting on the scale thing.  He says unless you get on the scale every day at the same time and see how your body fluctuates throughout the month you will only be doing yourself a disservice. What if we all threw away the scale and tended to measure ourselves by how well we felt when we got up in the morning as a sign of overall health? As a culture, we tend to think more about how our body looks than how it feels. I am guilty of that for sure, especially lately because I really don’t feel so good either.

Last week I managed to get to the gym 4 times as part of my starting to feel better physically. That’s pretty good. It’s a start and that is something worth being proud. I will give myself a pat on the back for that one. It makes a difference in my emotional health for sure. That is how every change starts, one step at a time. Will I ditch my scale? Not sure yet. I want to. Realizing that I can make changes with my own body is a good lesson for me especially since I feel so many other things are out of my control. I want a strong mind and body. This is all mine. This is on me.