Sad step, bad step?

Weight is such an emotive topic.  And I'm no expert.  I've been much heavier (having lost 3 stone a few years ago following Slimming World, and attending 'fat club' (my words, definitely not theirs) every week for a year or so), and lighter (when at my (self-set) target from the aforementioned club).  Now I'm somewhere in between.  Well, actually, that's not fair on myself as I'm closer to the 'lighter' end.  But I'm still not happy, and spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about my weight.  WHY?

I've started following Joe Wicks aka 'The Body Coach', as many of us did over the Christmas period.  Not really following his plan, it was just 'another' nice recipe book to drool over ever now and then, and simple, quick recipe videos as I scroll down my newsfeed on FB.

He does however, quite regularly talk about the 'sad step', in relation to why continually measuring your health and fitness goals by means of a set of bathroom scales, is detrimental to your motivation, leaving you often disappointed. View the full story here - Joe Wicks Blog

www.thebodycoach.co.uk

Deep down I know he's right - a focus on fitness and energy levels, strength and body composition, all of which lead towards being more confident, happier and greater sense of achievement, should be worth so much more than a number (or several numbers if you have fancy body composition scales like we do) on a dusty digital screen.

Yet many of us continue to do it.  I'm down to a weekly fix most weeks (a Tuesday, for all that matters).  Sometimes with a wee reality check after a particularly 'bad' day of troughing.  

The numbers are going gradually in the right direction - it's always way harder to get it off than put it on!  Weight is down about 12lbs since my Christmas indulgences, and body fat is also reducing (why do I only look at those two and not the gain in muscle? who knows).  Physically, I can see I've changed shape a little (there's far less blubber to tuck in on a daily basis now!) and I can see quite nice biceps forming (if nothing else!).  The strength training is making a difference....AND IT'S STILL ONLY MARCH!

Maybe it's a cultural thing, and the environment in which I was brought up but that negativity ticks away in my brain, and the, usually irrational, physical comparisons against those around me continue.

For fear of sounding like some sort of body obsessed junkie, I know it's time to move on.  The things I want to achieve are not measured by the sad step.  They will be measured by lifting heavy stuff, being adventurous and challenging myself, and running great trails, with great friends over great distances....to be celebrated by beer and chips if necessary!

Ramblings over.....back to some proper running blogs next time!