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It’s Not About the Numbers

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at App State chapter.

Every time you go to the gym, you are tempted to do it. Every time you go to the doctor’s office, you are required to do it. Every time you do it, you dread the results. What is it? Stepping on the scale.

Do you like the number you see? Or do you walk away in shame? Is your body on a roller-coaster of numbers with one day being below your goal weight and the next being above? Don’t let it stress you out, it happens to everyone.

We all know the story. You work out four or five times a week, leaving drenched in sweat, but the weight just isn’t coming off. If anything, you have gained a pound from the last week. Feeling hopeless and confused, you ask yourself, “What more can I do?”

First, don’t let that little number on a machine get you down. Take a step back, look in the mirror, and take pride in your body for how you feel. The number on a scale does not mean anything! If you feel like a million bucks because you just got through an entire cycling class without taking a break, don’t let a little number ruin that feeling.

The best part about why that number doesn’t matter is that no one has to know what it is. How much you weigh doesn’t define you or measure your worth. What defines you is your personality and confidence to be happy with how you look in the body that was made for you. How you feel should be the only thing that matters. If you feel like a boss after a killer workout, don’t let anyone or anything stop that. Who’s with me?

Many women obsess over their weight and what they are trying to do to maintain it. This obsession can become unhealthy if it crosses a certain line. Find the right balance for you that makes you happy. What many women don’t realize is that balance is different for everyone. A woman’s weight is influenced by more factors than you can even imagine. Stress, eating habits, genetics, sleep, and so much more can change our weight on a daily basis.

Instead of comparing a number to measure your progress, find a new routine. Set fitness goals to do more reps or run longer on the treadmill. Your body will surprise you. Instead of hating on your arm flab, thank your body for the ability to take steps to becoming a healthy you, overlooking the numbers.

Of course, you are going to have your days where you just want to drop 10 pounds instatnly. It’s only natural to feel like that. But don’t let that spark of a thought take over your day or your week. Find a new way to measure yourself and your self-progress to distract you from stepping on the scale.

Bottom line is: love yourself. Love who you are and the body designed for you. Don’t let a stupid little number affect how you feel. Your confidence and feel-good value of yourself is what matters. Stay on track to living a healthy and happy life and soon enough, people will ask you what your secret is. 

Inspried journalist who loves to tell stories. Orginally from Charlotte, North Carolina.