Camp Pendleton Triathlon 8/2012 and Vineman 7/2013 The other day I was flipping through my photos when I came across the first photo on the left. This was taken just one year ago at the end of my very first triathlon at Camp Pendleton. While it was only a sprint distance, it still tasked me with swimming 500m in the ocean, biking 18 miles with a mountain bike since I had not yet purchased my racing one, and then running a 5K. When I think about that race now, I can hardly believe how far I have come. That race nearly killed me, and I am not exaggerating. The lifeguards tried to rescue me throughout my swim, and by the time I crawled out on the sand, I had used every ounce of my energy I had reserved for the entire race. The look you see on my face shows how truly exhausted I was at the end of the race---I was more spent after that race than I was at the end of my Ironman.
Another thing I started thinking about while looking at that same photo was how different my body shape is now. If you look at the photo on the right taken at Ironman three weeks ago, I have honestly only lost 12 pounds since that first picture, but my body looks like I have lost much more than that. It reminded me once again how the scale is not the best measure of how far I have come in the last year. The way my clothes fit, the inches I have taken off, and even the higher level of endurance I have achieved are all more accurate indicators of my progress.
I had two experiences with friends this week that illustrate exactly what I am trying to share with you. Last weekend I was running with a couple of girlfriends through the Temecula vineyards. I was sharing how I was concerned now that I was not training at the same levels I had been for the last year, that I was going to gain weight and get fluffy. I shared what my weight was that morning, and commented that it was still the same, but I was hoping to keep it that way. One of my friends shared that she didn't think her scale was accurately representing where she truly was at that point. Her problem was that the scale had not changed, but her clothes were much tighter. She was recognizing that the scale was not telling the whole story.
The second experience was with a friend of mine who is just starting her journey to a healthier self. She is beginning to run and trying to make better food choices. She has the opposite problem from my other friend. This friend was sharing that despite all her hard work, her scale had not budged at all. When I asked her if her clothes were fitting better, she admitted that they were a little looser. Not only that, but she couldn't run at all a few weeks ago, and now she is able to run for longer periods before needing to walk. Now that is progress, and the scale is not telling the whole story.
So remember that while the scale is good just to keep you honest and not let yourself go too far off the wagon, it is not the best indicator of true progress. If you want to see how far you have progressed, look at how your clothes are fitting, look at your endurance in your given form of exercise, or take measurements to calculate the number of inches you have lost. All these are better indicators than your scale, because your scale will not tell you the whole stroy
Another thing I started thinking about while looking at that same photo was how different my body shape is now. If you look at the photo on the right taken at Ironman three weeks ago, I have honestly only lost 12 pounds since that first picture, but my body looks like I have lost much more than that. It reminded me once again how the scale is not the best measure of how far I have come in the last year. The way my clothes fit, the inches I have taken off, and even the higher level of endurance I have achieved are all more accurate indicators of my progress.
I had two experiences with friends this week that illustrate exactly what I am trying to share with you. Last weekend I was running with a couple of girlfriends through the Temecula vineyards. I was sharing how I was concerned now that I was not training at the same levels I had been for the last year, that I was going to gain weight and get fluffy. I shared what my weight was that morning, and commented that it was still the same, but I was hoping to keep it that way. One of my friends shared that she didn't think her scale was accurately representing where she truly was at that point. Her problem was that the scale had not changed, but her clothes were much tighter. She was recognizing that the scale was not telling the whole story.
The second experience was with a friend of mine who is just starting her journey to a healthier self. She is beginning to run and trying to make better food choices. She has the opposite problem from my other friend. This friend was sharing that despite all her hard work, her scale had not budged at all. When I asked her if her clothes were fitting better, she admitted that they were a little looser. Not only that, but she couldn't run at all a few weeks ago, and now she is able to run for longer periods before needing to walk. Now that is progress, and the scale is not telling the whole story.
So remember that while the scale is good just to keep you honest and not let yourself go too far off the wagon, it is not the best indicator of true progress. If you want to see how far you have progressed, look at how your clothes are fitting, look at your endurance in your given form of exercise, or take measurements to calculate the number of inches you have lost. All these are better indicators than your scale, because your scale will not tell you the whole stroy
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