Salvere Blog: The Scale — UGH!

by Salvere Health and Fitness

 

This little measurement tool seems to haunt us no matter where we go – Dr’s office, tv commercials, radio ads, nutrition discussions, exercise success measurements. Very few people seem to be truly motivated by the scale. Actually, quite often, we see the opposite. Through years and years and countless clients with scale struggles, I sat down and really thought about how we use the scale and what, if anything, we cannot determine via another method other than the scale.

If a diabetic loses a certain percentage of weight, their blood sugar improves – is it the weight loss or the healthier living? Do blood tests show all the info we need?

Losing weight helps decrease the risk of developing certain illness such as high blood pressure and cholesterol – is it the weight loss or added exercise and more nutritious eating? Again, blood tests and blood pressure cuff tells the progress.

What about weight loss that happens through eating packaged, minimally nutritious foods? Great job on weight loss, goal achieved but what about improved health?

What about the person that does not need to lose weight and shows health problems but never exercises and eats poorly? This person needs to make changes but the scale does not show that.

So, here’s my analysis so far on why we use the scale but if we really NEED it or not.

1. Health Issues – blood tests show this across the board and include everyone
2. Weight Gain – how your clothes fit tells this story
3. Exercise Enough – if you’re moving your body most days
4. Eating Nutritious Foods – write it all down and you can see the full picture

Can you think of anything that we NEED the scale to determine if we’re doing what we need to for our health????

by Lisa Martin, owner and personal trainer at Salvere Health and Fitness. If you’d like to contact Lisa, email her at Lisa@SalvereHealthAndFitness.com or call her at (410) 707-0055.

Tags: dieting, exercise, fitness, health problems, healthy eating, high blood pressure, personal trainer, salvere health and fitness, scale, weight loss, workout