Weight Is Just a Number

We have a saying at Dailey Fitness/TFW Greensboro: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”! If you want RESULTS with your training program, whether it be weight loss, muscle gain, strength improvement, to lose inches or to increase endurance & stamina…you must first start with a baseline measurement…so you can track your progress. If you’re not doing this, how can you know if you’re reaching your goals? Or if those goals are even realistic?! Weight is just a number…ONE number…and it is not telling you everything you need to know!

After being in the fitness industry since 1998, I have seen more than my share of disappointed people that spent all of their time and energy looking at ONE number-the one on the scale, without looking deeper into what the weight actually means. You train hard, you feel like you starve yourself trying to shed some pounds, and get mad because the number on the scale doesn’t drop as you expect it to. Sound familiar? Well, what you may not know is that if you train hard, and don’t feed your body with the correct nutrition, your body will tap into the most readily available source of energy-PROTEIN (which happens to be your muscle). In return, you may feel fatigue & ongoing soreness because your body cannot properly recover from the training. Muscle is the body’s internal fat burning machine…and the more muscle you have, the more efficiently you will burn fat. But how do you know if you are gaining muscle, fat, or retaining water when you stand on the scale that only shows you one number?

It’s a NEW YEAR, and you have BIG goals to reach! I’ve got a few things for you to consider as you begin this 2017 journey to looking and feeling your BEST! After all, time is your most precious commodity…it shouldn’t be wasted by spending your energy focused on things that aren’t productive & giving you the results you want!

First -Before you hit the gym, start a new training program, or change your diet…find out your numbers! All of them! Have your body composition checked (body weight in water, muscle, & fat!) Measure your inches. Perform a few strength tests to be able to use as a reference point later to see if you are getting stronger. And once you start training, log your workouts so you can track the amount of resistance you are using & how much cardiovascular work you are doing. NOW…you can set those goals!

Second-LISTEN to your body! What is it telling you? What is your energy level like on a daily basis, and does it fluctuate? How is your strength from one workout to another? Are you always sore after workouts? Do you notice you are often hungry? ALL of these things are cues about your health & fitness regimen & how it is effecting you. If you struggle with some of the things I just asked about, there is a good chance that there are some nutritional deficiencies that can easily be tweaked to ensure you are getting the most from your efforts. And if you want to be at your optimal body weight, you need to find the right dose of exercise (strength & cardiovascular training) & nutrition that will sustain your body from a cellular level.

All of this might sound like a lot, but it’s quite simple if you surround yourself with the right people. Like-minded people that can help you stay focused, will keep you accountable, and have the tools you need to simplify the process. Remember that small steps every day add up to A LOT!

One of the most useful and informational tools we use here at Dailey Fitness/TFW Greensboro is our InBody 270-body composition scale. We measure every student that starts with us, and follow up every 4 weeks after. It allows us to be able to see what is changing in regards to muscle, fat, and water weight so that we can make suggestions to tweak the programming or nutrition to move the numbers in the right direction to get RESULTS. The best thing about it is that it takes away the guess-work, so that you can spend less time worrying about training/diet, & MORE time living your best!

Whatever you do, and wherever you do it…get serious about tracking your numbers, and remember, weight is just a number!