I thought this blog post would be a perfect one for you to read before the carnage of the weekend.

Scales are stupid and should be avoided at all costs … what you weigh is JUST A NUMBER.

Unless you are an athlete that needs to be a certain weight to make a division what you weigh is irrelevant. Sure it’s a handy guide if you are trying to lose some of that jiggle around your middle but even then a mirror or tape measure or even the way your clothes fit is a more accurate way to gauge that.

I have watched people who are trying to loose a bit of excess poundage change their lifestyle by starting to eat whole foods and moving more, you know all the usual things one does to become a leaner meaner machine.

They start to like what they see in the mirror, their clothes are fitting a little looser, they are feeling fitter and stronger … and then they stand on the scales and the scales tell them that they are fat – so now they are a failure and even though they look EXACTLY the same as they did before they stood on the scales, now they see a hippo staring back at them in the very same mirror that earlier had showed them progress and hope.

In my previous life as a bodybuilder what I weighed was important – it helped my trainer and I to keep track of how much fat I had (and therefore how much I had to get rid of) and how much muscle I was holding (so that we could make sure I kept as much of it as possible while dieting).

Now days I rarely stand on the scales and when I do I don’t take that much stock in what the number is .. I can tell just by looking at my abs if Ive put on weight.  If they are there .. I’m good … if they have disappeared, its time to cut down on the desserts – how simple is that!

Instead of the “standing on the scales” ritual people go through each morning – I glance in the mirror, quicker too!  And yes I have been known to check my abs haven’t vanished immediately after indulging in chocolate! (Funnily they actually usually look better after sugar, its like carb loading) 😉

If you are still thinking “Julia is an idiot, of course the number on the scale matters” I will share some information that when I have told people they find it;

1. Interesting
2. Confusing, but mostly
3. Unbelievable

But I can assure you this is not Ripleys Believe it Or Not .. its all true.

You know my epic adventuring Ludian sisters, Iz, Anna and Sal?  We do Ludus marathons, burpee miles,  1000’s of stairs, plank in trees, do 1000 burpees just for fun?  That triggered your memory .. ?  If not let me show you ..

Epic Adventurers me, Anna, Iz and Sal at the Fitness Expo representing Ludus with pride.

It’s obvious to spot that we are all VASTLY different in our body types. We range from tall and slender (Sal, who I think just pips Anna in the height stakes) to short and built like a tank (me). We vary in age, heights, coloring, shoe size and body shapes BUT we all have one thing in common

We all weigh the same (give or take a few hundred grams)!

If that doesn’t show you that what the number on the scales says is irrelevant, then I guess nothing will.

Love the skin you are in .. regardless of what the scales tell you.

Till next time