It's a loaded word isn't it?! Discussions about weight seem to have an ability to polarise opinion and offend like no other conversation can, especially in this online sphere.
As numbers go, weight is a number everyone seems to know about themselves, (along with their postcode and phone number) yet are infinitely less willing to share with others. Any corner shop or doctor's surgery is rammed with glossy magazines stacked with the latest fad diet formula to lose 10 pounds by next Tuesday.
It's a headspace I bought into, wholeheartedly for my entire adult life (until very recently!) Seeing the numbers drop= success, good Sarah, permission to feel attractive; seeing the numbers rise= failure, bad Sarah, what a heffer etc. I've tried Atkins, Slimming World, Weight Watchers- all great programmes and all entirely fixated on WEIGHT.
Except those numbers had no way of knowing or relating to what else was going on in my life at the time. 2 1/2 years in a wheelchair? Your weight may well rise. Beating on yourself and feeling like a failure is not a headspace conducive to recovery or health. Depressed or having an emotionally rough time? Factor in a weight gain and make yourself feel even worse about yourself! How about an amazing, sunny holiday? Eat what you like, come back heavier and guilt trip yourself- undoing all the relaxation and calm of the previous week.
I started my journey into fitness and healthy living with a huge weight focus- I wanted to see those numbers drop so that I would know that it was 'working'. Amazingly (although it did my head in at the time) the Whole30 programme forbids you from weighing yourself for the whole 30 days that you follow the regime- forcing you to focus on how you're feeling, your health, energy levels, skin, sleep quality and mood. The first few days of eating avocados, nuts, coconut oil, olive oil etc without being able to weigh in and 'check' if it was working or not really freaked me out! However, after 30 days I felt incredible- and was measuring my health and 'success' in a far more holistic way than just a number on a scale. When I then weighed myself, as it turned out, I'd lost a stone- the worries about eating so much fat were totally unfounded.
That 30 days kickstarted my journey into a healthy lifestyle, and I now measure my health in a huge range of ways, how I feel, how healthy/ill I've been, the amount of weight I can lift, the distance I can run/swim/cycle/walk, how hard I can jump around in praise and worship at church without getting out of breath, how fast I can run in a game of duck duck goose with the kiddos at work without breaking a sweat, and how many chips I can eat without that horrible little voice in my head telling me they are bad, will make me fat, are 'naughty' or 'wrong'. I've also learned that I can change shape drastically without changing weight (due to muscle building or starting a new type of exercise) and that hormones or neglecting my hydration can wreck havoc on the numbers on the scale on one day, without having any lasting impact on my weight.
So here are some numbers that tell far more of my story- some from the past, some from the present, some are set and some are changing but every single one of them are infinitely more important to me than any number on a scale:
1 husband, 2 amazing parents and 2 wonderful parent-in-laws
1 naughty kitten and 1 slightly better behaved guineapig
2 brothers and 13 brothers- and sisters-in-law
5 awesome, hyper little nieces and nephews
2 BAs, 1 PGCE and almost 1 Masters between me and the boy
8+ jobs between us in the last 3 years
1 illness in the last year (requiring 4 days off work- Norovirus (yuk!)) In previous years I've often jumped from bug to bug throughout the winter without ever really feeling 'healthy'.
Kicked shingles with no time off within 14 days
I can run 10 miles in under 2 hours
I can swim 1k
I can cycle at least 20k (haven't tried further yet)
2 Triathlons booked for this summer
1 10k race booked for May
151 children in my class since I started teaching
Over 250 kids reached through our community kids club since it began
I've lived in 3 countries since I was 18
2 years using a wheelchair
I can speak/read 3 languages
1 cross+ 4 nails= my worth being defined by something far, far bigger than anything in this list!
Focussing your view of your health and fitness on just your weight will only limit, frustrate and demotivate you! Be brave- set goals for yourself based on something other than your weight- a new sport, a new distance, a new race or a new PB and watch how your relationship with your body, exercise and food changes!
That 30 days kickstarted my journey into a healthy lifestyle, and I now measure my health in a huge range of ways, how I feel, how healthy/ill I've been, the amount of weight I can lift, the distance I can run/swim/cycle/walk, how hard I can jump around in praise and worship at church without getting out of breath, how fast I can run in a game of duck duck goose with the kiddos at work without breaking a sweat, and how many chips I can eat without that horrible little voice in my head telling me they are bad, will make me fat, are 'naughty' or 'wrong'. I've also learned that I can change shape drastically without changing weight (due to muscle building or starting a new type of exercise) and that hormones or neglecting my hydration can wreck havoc on the numbers on the scale on one day, without having any lasting impact on my weight.
So here are some numbers that tell far more of my story- some from the past, some from the present, some are set and some are changing but every single one of them are infinitely more important to me than any number on a scale:
1 husband, 2 amazing parents and 2 wonderful parent-in-laws
1 naughty kitten and 1 slightly better behaved guineapig
2 brothers and 13 brothers- and sisters-in-law
5 awesome, hyper little nieces and nephews
2 BAs, 1 PGCE and almost 1 Masters between me and the boy
8+ jobs between us in the last 3 years
1 illness in the last year (requiring 4 days off work- Norovirus (yuk!)) In previous years I've often jumped from bug to bug throughout the winter without ever really feeling 'healthy'.
Kicked shingles with no time off within 14 days
I can run 10 miles in under 2 hours
I can swim 1k
I can cycle at least 20k (haven't tried further yet)
2 Triathlons booked for this summer
1 10k race booked for May
151 children in my class since I started teaching
Over 250 kids reached through our community kids club since it began
I've lived in 3 countries since I was 18
2 years using a wheelchair
I can speak/read 3 languages
1 cross+ 4 nails= my worth being defined by something far, far bigger than anything in this list!
Focussing your view of your health and fitness on just your weight will only limit, frustrate and demotivate you! Be brave- set goals for yourself based on something other than your weight- a new sport, a new distance, a new race or a new PB and watch how your relationship with your body, exercise and food changes!
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