Live Well
My Irrational Fear of the Scale By Jo Hill
I ’ m going to get somewhat personal here … For many years , I let the scale define me . I spent hours every single day thinking about that number on the scale , and I battled with this throughout my 20 ’ s . I then decided to compete in a sport that was meant to help me focus on how much weight I was lifting , and not on what I looked like . In that regard , powerlifting was awesome !
However , deciding to compete in powerlifting is
something I wholeheartedly wish I had never done , because competing in a sport that focuses on the number on the scale was the worst thing for me . With powerlifting , you need to try your utmost best to weigh as little as possible on the day of weigh-ins , and then you can eat to your heart ’ s content until the competition , because that number gets compared to the amount of weight you are lifting ( power to weight ratio ). I was therefore told to weigh myself daily , and although this got me over my initial fear of the scale , it also showed me a side of myself that I thought I had put in the past .
Since deciding to stop powerlifting , I can count on one hand the amount of times I have weighed myself . It causes such anxiety that I would rather not know , and through conversations with many women , young and old , I don ’ t think that I am alone in this . It is no secret that a lot of us put our worth into the number on the scale .
The Bigger Picture
The thing with the scale is that it doesn ’ t tell the full story . If the scale is the only thing you are using to track your progress , it can be really , really discouraging when you aren ’ t seeing the number on the scale continuously go down or up , depending on your goal , but does that mean that you aren ’ t making progress ? No , because there are many reasons why the scale will not go up or down , or won ’ t even move at all !
The things that I ’ ve noticed can affect the number on the scale include :
• Water intake .
• Sodium intake .
• Muscle soreness – if you ’ ve had a really intense workout , chances are the scale will be higher the next day .
• Digestion ( Have you gone to the loo ?)
• Hormones ( Are you close to that time of the month ?)
• Not getting enough sleep .
• Stress is probably the biggest contributor to an increase on the scale , because corsitol is responsible for water-retention in the body !
And then there are silly things like eating really late at night and weighing yourself earlier than normal . This doesn ’ t cause fat-gain , but the food is still sitting in your tummy when you weigh yourself ! And there are still more things that I noticed can affect the scale , including :
• Fizzy drinks – the carbonation can cause bloating , and they often contain a lot of sodium .
• Medication – I found that painkillers ( from Panado to Myprodol ) affect the number on the scale , as they make your body hold onto water .
• Sugar-free sweets or diet desserts – anything with sorbitol or xanthan gum causes bloating , and this will cause the scale to increase .
• High-volume foods – having more food in the tummy could also show an increase on the scale , even if the food you are eating is low calorie .
Again , this isn ’ t weight-gain , and your weight will normalise in a short period of time . So , if you take anything from this , remember that the scale does not determine your worth ! It ’ s just one of many tools to track progress . Taking pictures , assessing how your clothes fit , measuring yourself … those are also things that you can do to track progress . Instead of choosing one method , use a few . And if you , too , are struggling with the scale , just remember you aren ’ t alone !
Jo Hill is a Durban-based baking enthusiast with two self-confessed addictions : Fitness and chocolate . She has made it her mission in life to show the world that it is possible to have the best of both worlds . The popularity of her healthy recipes led to her creating her popular Facebook page and blog called Pull ups and Peanut butter , where she shares her recipes for clean , healthy and diet-friendly treats . More info at www . pullupsandpeanutbutter . co . za
Burpee Bliss
Many of us remember being ‘ tortured ’ with burpees in PT at school , but they are actually an excellent fitness and conditioning exercise . Here ’ s how the burpee works :
1 From a standing position , bend both knees and place both hands on the floor .
2 Shoot both feet out backwards to go into the push-up position . 3 Do a push-up , then jump both feet back into a crouch position . 4 Jump and clap your hands above your head .
You can do sets of 10 at a time , but decide for yourself how many sets , as this is a solid workout for various muscle groups , and your heart and lungs . Make sure you do not hyper-extend ( curve ) your back when shooting the legs back , and when you jump back up , make sure you extend at the top of the jump by stretching your hands fully above your head .
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ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za