7 Non-Scale Victories That Should Make You Proud of Your Progress

You packed a healthy lunch every day this week. You’re exercising more consistently than you have in years. You even cleared out your candy drawer! But when you step on the scale, your heart sinks. It’s the exact same number. Or worse, maybe you lost a couple pounds and now they’re back! Now you feel defeated.

We’ve all been in this situation: caught up in a numbers game with the scale. But the scale only tells us so much—it’s not the only indication of your overall progress. There are plenty of non-scale victories that prove your hard work is indeed paying off. So Instead of weighing yourself every day (or even every week), ditch the scale and focus on some of these “non-scale victories”.

Your clothes fit differently.

Even if you haven’t dropped a size, you might be noticing that your jeans feel roomier and there’s no button gap on your favorite blouse. There are a couple explanations: Exercise is sculpting your body, even if the scale isn’t budging. It’s also possible that your healthier diet choices have reduced the bloat and fluid retention that can make your clothes feel tight or uncomfortable.

You’re sleeping better.

Better sleep is a huge victory: it can make all the difference in how you feel day-to-day. Sleeping even sets you up for more victories down the line.

Sleep is the foundation of stress management and it’s critical for weight loss, metabolic health, and insulin sensitivity. Celebrate this victory if you’re sleeping better! On top of feeling good for its own sake, sleep is also the best foundation for other health benefits down the line.

Difficult workouts are getting easier.

The more you perform an exercise, the more efficient your muscles and nervous system become at doing it. Maybe your lungs no longer feel on fire during a jog. Or the dumbbells you regularly use are feeling a lot lighter. Our bodies are incredibly adaptable and it doesn’t take long to start noticing changes in your abilities.

You’re enjoying exercise.

Remember when rolling out of bed an hour early was the worst possible way to start your day? Now the morning alarm is not such a nuisance and after you knock out your AM workout, you feel refreshed, focused, and ready to start the day. That’s some serious progress!

People have noticed.

Your coworker mentions that you look slimmer. You bump into someone at the grocery store who asks if you’ve been working out. Chances are: they’re being honest—not just nice. People often see subtle changes in your body before you notice them. If someone complements you, take their word for it! It means you’re doing something right.

You’re dominating daily tasks that used to exhaust you.

At last, you can make it up the stairs to work without catching your breath at the top. You try carrying the groceries inside with one trip and succeed. You might even join your kids on the monkey bars! As far as non-scale victories go, this one’s a win for both you and your family.

You’ve made a healthier life a priority.

You’ve carved out time to live a healthier life. That might mean eliminating Netflix binges from your day so that you could add in exercise or preparing lunch instead of relying on the drive-thru. Most health goals are achieved by small, attainable changes overtime. By making a few small changes, you’ve already made incredible strides.

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Bettering your health is never time wasted. After seeing the benefits of healthy choices, many people feel confident (and even limitless) in their ability to succeed in other areas of their life. If you can stay focused and consistent, you can reach just about any goal you want.