Celebrate Non-Scale Victories

Happy New Year! I hope you all are having an amazing start to 2016! A new year gives us a fresh start and a new beginning!

Speaking of new, you probably know that I officially rebranded my blog towards the end of last year. And of course, I had to unveil my new makeover for the new year! I’m really excited about the fun year ahead!

So let’s chat about the new year…

My sister and I had a discussion about our New Year’s resolutions. We both decided that we weren’t going to make any this year. What happens when we make resolutions and we fall short of our goal? We feel like we failed at reaching our goal, right? This also goes for goals we set out to accomplish throughout the year. 

Most people will say their goal for the new year is to lose weight. Including me. However, last year I had my struggles with losing weight. And who tries to lose weight during marathon training? ONLY me! Over the past two years, I’ve done it all: Weight Watchers (again), 21 Days of Raw, and if you read my Plateau Chronicles then you know that I finally escaped my plateau following 4-weeks on the Super Shred Diet. Although I was successful on Super Shred, what if I had not lost any weight? What about the 14 inches that I lost? Did my efforts not matter? Did I mention after my race season officially ended my clothes were fitting loose, but the scale said something different?

[Tweet “Celebrate non-scale victories in the new year with these success tips!  #fitness #health “]

 

 

In 2016, I want to focus on celebrating non-scale victories. Alison Sweeney, former host of The Biggest Loser, shared 4 tips as a guide to getting in shape and celebrating success. Let’s take a look at them:

1. Set a goal that doesn’t involve the scale.
2. Make one small change at a time.
3. Reward yourself early and often.
4. Don’t give yourself a hard time!
   

Set a goal that doesn’t involve the scale: My biggest mistake last year was obsessing over the number on the scale. Why do we give it so much power anyway? It can become absolutely exhausting, so why not focus on the positives. Here’s a goal: Exercise 3 days a week + 1 day of strength training. You’ll feel accomplished once you have successfully completed the week.

Make one small change at a time: I tell people all the time, small changes turn into big changes and big changes turn into healthy habits. Instead of soda, try sparkling water (my new fave). Or like today in the office, we had red velvet cake, but I ate Cheerios instead. No comparison, I know. But still. That was a big deal for me because obviously I wanted cake! Baby steps!

Reward yourself early and often: I love this idea! This is something that I did not do enough of last year even though (looking back) I deserved it. Don’t worry there will be a lot of rewarding this year!  You don’t have to reward yourself with food or a cheat meal, it can be other things that you enjoy: mani/pedi, new running jacket, or a new kitchen accessory.

Don’t give yourself a hard time:  2015 is over and done! Maybe you did not reach your goal or your goal weight, but today is a new day! Sometimes we have to revisit our goals when things don’t work out as planned. Trust me I know. One of my biggest victories came after not reaching one of my goals. It didn’t involve the scale either. I had to refocus and think of a new way to approach my goal…then I CRUSHED it!

Art’s Bonus Tip – Embrace the journey: Be proud of where you are and how far you’ve come. You never know who you are inspiring!

I couldn’t think of a better way to approach the new year! For My Pretty Brown Fit, it’s all about non-scale victories in 2016! You can read the entire article here.

What ways will you celebrate your non-scale victories in the new year?

 

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