Thurs. Jan. 21

13 Min. AMRAP:
10 Push Ups (chest must touch floor and arms must lock out at top)
20 Lunges (each leg)

Strength:
5 Sets: Max Dead Hang Pullups

This is from paleochix.com

"Scale Tales"

What’s your magic number? You know the one…. the one that will put you on top of the world when it appears, the life-changing number that will transform you into a better person or help you find true love. But what will it take to get there? For most it means sacrifice and abusing the body. And maintenance… that’s a whole different ball of wax! Will your “success” at reaching that number be maintained until the summer wedding you are going to? Those are real questions you need to ask yourself.

I have lived by the number on the scale for most of my life. I was a chubby kid, chubbier teen and overweight young adult. Through self-deprivation and starvation I learned how to beat the number on the scale and dare that number to go lower. Anorexia turned me into a scale pro. I would gladly show you the digits any day of the week. I recall the day a 00 was too big for me, I also recall not being able to get pregnant, the horror I felt when i realized you could see me spine, being weak and out of breath and getting sick all the time. It was exhausting.

After the birth of my first daughter the battle started all over again. I found myself feeling like I was not worthy when my Weight Watcher leader would point out I hadn’t lost anything that week. I would use all my points at McDonald’s and would end up “forced” to eat veggies the rest of the day since the were zero points. Carrots and broccoli ? Really? I felt as if I was being punished instead of taking these good foods and running with them.

You all know what comes next – you lose that “last 10lbs” and treat yourself. A celebration of depriving yourself for weeks and months on end. The cycle then starts all over again. Why not be satisfied every day? The realization that Paleo is a lifestyle and not a diet changed that for me. I am never hungry, and I will never chase a number.

At almost 43 (next week!) I am 5′6″ and don’t know or care how much I weigh. I don’t weight and measure my food, so why would I weigh myself? I am in the 150-160 range and a size 6/8. I feel fantastic! By most doctor’s charts and according to my daughters’ Wii Fit I am supposed to weigh 140. While I may be overweight by some standards, I guarantee you I am not “under fit.” At 140 there is no way I could nail a 180lb backsquat, or pass people more than half my age on endurance workouts. It’s been 7 months since I started Paleo and I know I am leaner and stronger. I can see abs I never knew I had!

What I’m getting at is: DO NOT FIXATE ON A NUMBER!!! It doesn’t reflect who you are or anything about your level of fitness. Your health is measured by your fitness, not a number. If you are treating your body the way it was intended and working out, then your body will respond – you will feel strong, you will get lean and your body will reflect that.

The best part about that – it’s easy to maintain. We all have our occasionally cheats, but we get back up on the wagon. You don’t need to know you gained 3lbs over the holidays - you will FEEL it. You will know by then how treating yourself well daily feels.

So next time you feel the urge to weigh, instead think “HOW DO I FEEL?” How you respond to that and what you do next says more about who you are than any number.