Striving to lose weight can be a common motivator among those who wish to make healthier lifestyle choices. Working to maintain a healthy look for an individual’s own body can involve paying attention to any alterations on the scale, but this number is not necessarily the ultimate indicator of a person’s overall health. The exact correlations between weight and health are more than a little complex. Among several researchers in weight-related fields who spoke to Self Magazine on this topic, the general consensus was that, “…a more effective approach might be to focus on behavior changes (like exercise, healthy eating, and so on) over modifying a physical attribute.”
But how does someone begin to go about activities such as exercising often and eating nutritious foods without even considering that lingering number?
Adopt A Body-Positive Mindset
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Instead of wondering about what one’s appearance will be after they reach certain goals, focusing on a more body-positive approach could alternatively be motivational as well as improve health and well-being, as stated by Dr. Rebecca Puhl to Refinery29. The term “body-positive” can have meanings unique to each individual, but typically involves appreciating one’s body in the current moment, regardless of its shape or size, and reminding oneself that an individual is worth so much more than just a number on a scale.
Try Out Different Routines To See Which Works Best For You
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Figuring out where to even begin to develop an exercise routine is daunting in itself. With a wide variety of options ranging from fast-paced cardio to meditative yoga practices, as well as non-traditional activities such as biking, swimming, or dancing, it could be easy to become overwhelmed. The Mayo Clinic suggested changing up one’s routine with different methods early on in order to prevent boredom and prevent over-exerting oneself on a specific routine. They also emphasized the importance of listening to one’s body throughout the course of a workout, which could be helpful in deciding whether or not to to stick with a certain routine or try out other options.
Find A Workout Buddy
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Heading over to the gym with a friend or two could be an additionally motivating factor, since you can both hype each other up while working out together and as well as keep one another in check for those moments when one of you is ready to quit while you’re ahead and go back to the dorms to catch up on some Netflix. Exercising with a friend as opposed to by oneself can also help the workouts feel less difficult, and therefore could overall be more effective altogether. If you and your friends can’t make it all the way over to the gym, check out these quick exercises ideal for a small dorm room or apartment.
Avoid Trendy Diets
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Between a constantly shifting dialogue throughout the media over the latest fad diets and the increase in recent years of celebrity-sponsored weight loss posts, it may be tempting to want to completely overhaul one’s eating habits in favor of a trendy option. But this may not necessarily be beneficial for overall health in the long run, since many diets are designed for short-term results. According to Self, “This fixation on dieting isn’t terribly surprising, given the perceived impact of dieting on weight loss, and our society’s near obsession with losing weight thanks to pervasive weight stigma and the conflation of weight loss, by any means, with health.” Instead of keeping up with the latest fad social media influencers are raving about, The Center For Young Women’s Health recommended swapping out a few foods with healthier alternatives, such as sweet or baked potatoes instead of fries and fruits as opposed to desserts.
Find Inspiration Outside Of Exercise and Meals
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Working towards a healthy mindset can be just as important as looking after one’s physical well-being. Changing up one’s social media feeds with a dose self-love by following inspirational accounts could be a quick way to do so. I Weigh, a page founded by NBC’s The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil, features over 2,000 posts submitted by women defining their “weight” in personal attributes that make them who they are outside of their appearance. In a Glamour op-ed, Jamil wrote that after posting her own photo to start her campaign, “Inspiring, interesting, brave, and bold women were telling me what they loved about their lives and themselves with little mention of their exterior.” Another way through which a person can develop a healthier mindset is through practicing self-care on a daily basis by looking after one’s mental state throughout the day and taking the time to decompress.
At the end of the day, the reasons through which an individual elects to make healthier lifestyle choices should be entirely up to them and their doctors. But when it comes to something as complex to measure health through as weight can be, it is important to remember that a person’s value is not measured by the number on the scale.