You Are Not A Number

For the past 15 (+) years I have been a scale watching addict.  15 years of my life have been consumed and ruled by a number...how crazy is that?  Drop pounds, drop pounds, drop pounds.  That was the one and only thing I was ever concerned about when it came to any sort of health and fitness regimen.  I still struggle with this daily, I am sad to say.  However, I am slowly starting to realize that it is not the number on the scale I (or any of you) should be concerned with.  What we should all be focusing on is the way we feel.  Do you feel stronger today than yesterday?  Can you hold a plank like a pro for just a few more seconds?  Get to 30 bicycle crunches without going all sloppy at the end?

Weight has never ever just fallen off me.  Even when I work hard, it still sticks around.  I am tall and bigger boned so I definitely find it harder to maintain a weight I think is healthy.  Feeling a little discouraged the other day about being stuck in scale plateau, my best friend reminded me of how hard I have been working and even if the scale isn't moving, my strength and endurance is.  "I will never be as strong as you", she said.  And while I completely disagree with that (because I think she could be!), it was a wake up call and really nice to hear.  I went shopping for back to work clothes a couple weeks ago and no, I still wasn't the size I wanted to be, but I felt good in the clothes.  That's what matters right?

I feel really grateful that I have found a group of strong and healthy women that motivate me to be a better me every single day...whether I am in a 6FIT session or not.  The women of DanceFIT Studio are not concerned with a number on the scale (for the most part...I am sure everyone has their moments!) but rather the number of squats, burpees, tricep dips they can reach by the end of the day.  How AMAZING is that?
The women I surround myself with both in person and virtually take multiple DanceFIT classes a day, climb mass amounts of stairs with the November Project, do CrossFIT programs, run marathons.  The list goes on and on and on. They are strong and healthy and they motivate me to be the same.  I see most of these women through the computer via Skype.  I have been working out with them all for over a year and I am literally watching them transform before my eyes.  I do not think...woah, she is so skinny, but rather she has gotten incredibly muscular; look at her arms muscles, legs, etc.  It is amazing to see.


In our little 6FIT cult, if one person gets down about not achieving their weight loss goal, or if someone is having a bad day everyone is quick to pull that person up...and by quick, I mean within 5 minutes words of encouragement are flying:

• You are getting stronger
• Don't worry about the number on the scale, you are building muscle
• You are healthy
• You have made a healthy lifestyle change...there is kale coming out of your ears :)
• You're running your ass off
• You are taking a gazillion classes a week
• Focus on how your clothes fit and not on the scale
• YOU ARE NOT A NUMBER (Thank you, Leta)

Personally, those words of encouragement that fly around our 6FIT FB page need to be hammered into my brain on a daily basis, but I am getting there.  These are words that I want my daughter to hear, as I have said before.  I don't want her to grow up the way I did...consumed by a single number on the scale.  She has seen me weigh myself before and of course wanted to do the same.  Instead of telling her the number on the scale I said "It says you are beautiful, you are strong, you are healthy".  Now when she see the scale, she says "I am beautiful Mommy?" and that just make my heart happy.  

My friend and fellow 6FITTER, Nicole wrote it best here.  The babies are watching and hearing everything you say. Not only as parents, but as a society, I feel like we need to set a good example for these littles as they grow. Teach them the words healthy, strong and beautiful not skinny, size 0 and scale.  

One last thing to leave you with.  At the end of every yoga class, Gina has us curl into a little ball and stay still for a couple minutes.  Not being a seasoned yogi, I asked what the purpose of this was.  Her answer?  "Self Love".  What a concept.