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Non-Scale Victories (NSV)
Today I want to focus on what many call "non-scale victories". Don't worry, I'll explain in more detail below but before we jump in, let me ask you this. Which small achievements can you celebrate today? How are you going to celebrate them? So often we set goals and wait to celebrate until the goal is reached. Some of those goals are short-term and may take a couple of weeks, other goals are long-term and take years to reach. What do we do in the meantime? Just keep pushing through?? That doesn't sound very motivating now, does it? It is so important to celebrate all of the small achievements as they happen. Whether that's daily or multiple times per day, acknowledging and celebrating all the baby steps can help keep you motivated to stay on your selected path. So again, which small achievements can you celebrate today and how? I'd love to hear your thoughts so shoot me a message or post a comment below so we can celebrate together! Now let's dive in and talk about those non-scale victories!
Last week I challenged you to ditch the scale. I shared how often the scale can lead to negative thoughts and loss of motivation. Today I want to chat about "non-scale victories" (NSV). Why? Because there are not only SO MANY available to you, but on a health and wellness level they are so much more valuable than the number flashing on the scale screen.So what are non-scale victories? Non-scale victories are health and wellness improvements that result from small life changes that are not tied to your weight (aka the number on the scale). Here are some examples:
- Your clothes fit better than they used to
- You're in less pain
- You can do more of the things you love
- You have more energy
- Your sleep has improved
- You stop hitting the snooze button
- You wake up feeling rested
- You've reached a fitness milestone
- Your mind is sharper
- Your skin looks better
- Your nails are stronger
- Your hair is thicker
- You've lost inches
- You're stronger
- Your coping mechanisms are healthier
- Your mood is improved
- Your medical markers are getting better
- You've reduced your medication dose or number of medications taken
- Your cravings are less frequent or have disappeared
- You're doing things you never thought you'd do or do again
- You're consistent with healthy food choices and/or workouts
- You no longer snack between meals
- You eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full
- and many more!!!
See what I mean? The list goes on and on!
When I start working with clients, 9 out of 10 tell me the reason they reached out was to "lose weight". Of course, losing weight is a great goal, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, you don't lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy and you lose weight. So if getting healthy leads to weight loss (whether you like it or not), then why only focus on weight loss? After all you don't really want to lose "weight". Weight loss could be (and usually is) muscle loss, bone density loss, water loss, etc. What you want to lose is fat and fat loss isn't detected on a scale. Listening and understanding my clients and why they want to lose weight helps all of these non-scale victories emerge.
Imagine if you …
- Had more energy
- Had less pain
- Reduced your HbA1c
- Reduced your blood pressure and your need for medication
- Slept through the night and woke up feeling good
- No longer craved (insert trigger food here)
- Noticed your clothes fit differently
- Could go for that hike or walk to the mailbox instead of driving
BOTTOM LINE: We need to start celebrating 🎉 the small achievements, the achievements that are truly moving us towards our long-term goals and we need to celebrate them loud, proud, and clear! We need to figure out why we want to lose weight and then we need to focus on celebrating 🎉 each and every one of those non-scale victories.
So tell me ….
What non-scale victory
have you accomplished this week?
Comment below 👇🏼or shoot me a message. 📨
I'll be waiting!⏳
If you don't make time for your health,
by Author
you'll be forced to make time for your illness.
