So, it’s the start of the month and for those who have been following this for a while will know it’s time for my monthly weigh-in. Now after April’s weigh-in – and the surprising stuff that came up from that – I made sure to get myself into the right mindset for this month’s check-in.
As I’ve said from the start… and this is as much a reminder for myself as anything else…this is NOT a weight loss journey! I’m not in the business of depriving and pushing myself to reach a “target weight or size”.
I honestly think that most of the time it’s pretty unachievable and very rarely do we feel completely happy. We often focus so much on reaching that perfect dress size or magic number on the scale…and then we STILL aren’t happy with our bodies, or we have had to push ourselves so hard to get there we can’t maintain it and end up putting weight on again!
It’s so exhaustig…and I personally don’t find the whole “diet/weight loss” process fun at all… life is just too short to not be happy and having fun.
So my goals are simple – eat a little better (without restricting myself), move a bit more, and get to know my body a little better.
Here it goes…
When approaching my weigh in this morning – I really tried to go in with no expectations… easier said than done. I thought to myself that if nothing else, I will be accepting of the number… no matter what that is and try not to judge myself as a result of what the scale says.
Well… this approach was really put to the test! This month’s weigh-in showed I have put on 3lbs. It really isn’t much in the grand scheme of things… the same as a human brain apparently 😅.
Despite this, I had to fight back the Alice (chimp) chatter that immediately popped up in my head…and remind myself that this number does not define the success of my accomplishments this month. To help me with this, I decided to take a look at just a few of the things I have achieved recently to throw in some perspective.
I’m running again – it’s something that after my back injury I wasn’t sure I was able to get back into (my osteo would probably advise against it). But I’m doing it… and loving it. Each week I can feel my body getting stronger and my mindset improving as a result.
Weight training progress – this is something that has had to be tweaked a little now that the gyms aren’t open. Luckily for me…my parents have a great gym/weight set up at home – that combined with structured workouts from my resident PT (shout out to my lil bro Dave) I’m able to at least maintain my strength training. I’ve even able to set new pb’s such as 5kg shoulder exercises (it doesn’t sound a lot…but for me it’s super tough) and 20kg hammer curls! 💪
Maintaining a consistent fitness routine – despite lockdown – I am still able to maintain a pretty good routine where my fitness is concerned and it turns out I’m doing something every day! Some days it’s running, some days weight training, some days it’s just a little gentle yoga session and some days it’s a combination of the above. I’ve come to realise that my mental wellbeing is so much better when I am more active…and doing something every day is really helping, especially at the moment with all the extra tensions.
There is so much there that I’m incredibly proud of, and that’s just the physical stuff. The added bonus which has been really nice… is that it doesn’t feel like a chore. I do have to be quite disciplined (the temptation to sleep in is rather than go out for my 6.30am run is very strong) but the pay off is well worth it.
It’s a process… but not necessarily a physical one!
I think the thing that’s going to be a real game-changer for this isn’t so much “Sorting my Shit out physically” as I think I’m pretty much there with this one… but now more work’s needed around “Body Positivity”.
I know that being fit and active is good for me…I can see and feel the benefits. What I need to work on is the relationship I have with my body and removing some of the unhelpful behaviours/attitudes that I have held onto from the past. #sortingmyshitoutmentally
As mentioned in my May post – this is something I’m going to be really starting to focus on going forward. I feel like I’m now in the right headspace to take on some different approaches and really get into space where I accept (and even love) my body just as it is…
Facing things head on
So I mentioned this in my previous weigh-in post – it might seem strange that I waffle on about not caring what the scales say… yet continue to weigh myself each month. What’s the point?
Well to put it simply…I want to remove the judgment associated with these “numbers” we use to define ourselves. At the end of the day, they are just that… numbers…they do not define our worth to others or to ourselves!
That’s an easier thing said than done though… I know for myself I have always had some kind of worth attached to my weight/dress size and so it’s a tricky habit to crack.
Some take the “out of sight out of mind” approach…and that’s totally valid and works for many. By not weighing in, you never have to face those challenging emotions – and you know what there is nothing wrong with that at all!
For me though, it kinda feels like an avoidance tactic and I’m not really getting to the root cause of why I feel like that.
I wanna remove that completely and focus on being happy and having fun – so I’m doing my “Amy” usual and tackling the difficult things head-on. It’s never easy, but I learn so much in the process and always come out in a better place than I started.
Crunching the numbers
By doing my monthly weigh in – I’m normalising the process, therefore de-sensitising myself to the anxiety and worry attached to weighing myself. I’m also learning to accept the number for what it is…just a number. It doesn’t define my worth, success or anything like that – it just gives me the facts.
So, in the spirit of accepting the numbers at face value…. here are a few more taken from today:
- 29 – my age
- 18st 10lbs – my weight
- 18/20 – my dress size
- 9 – my shoe size
- 49 inches – bust
- 45 inches – waist
- 51 inches – hips (gotta love an hourglass figure😉)
- 2 – eyes, ears, legs, arms…I think you get the point!
That’s pretty much me in numbers – but I know that I am soo much more than this list and they in no way define who I am or how I live my life.
I say this a lot, but do remember that this is all just my opinion and perspective. You gotta do what makes you feel good… and if that’s going on a diet then great… if it’s having a weight loss goal in mind go for it! I fully support anyone who is being proactive in finding their best selves. Just be sure that whatever you do makes you happy, not just for the short but long term too.
