8 Non-Scale Victories for Sustainable Progress (Part 2)
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Do you crave validation beyond mere numbers?
Welcome back to the second part of our series on Non-Scale Victories (NSVs) for sustainable progress! In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we continue our exploration of NSVs, shedding light on four additional victories beyond the limitations of the scale. Join us as we uncover the importance of celebrating progress beyond weight loss and embrace holistic approaches to health and fitness.
What I discuss:
NSV #5: You celebrate your progress photos
NSV #6: You have more muscle definition
NSV #7: Consistency:
NSV #8: You’re happier!
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 428: 8 Non-Scale Victories for Sustainable Progress (Part 1)
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:29]
[00:00:29] Hello and welcome back to our two part series Non Scale Victories for Sustainable Progress. This is part two. So like I said in part one our health and fitness journeys are often defined by a single number which is the weight the number on the scale. And while weight loss can be a goal, I truly believe that it shouldn't be the sole measure of success, especially when it is affecting you mentally. And so that's why we need our non scale victories, our needs. Right. And these are achievements that celebrate the transformations that are happening within you. Beyond the limitations of the scale. Let's be real. Focusing solely on weight loss that can be so discouraging leading to frustration and a skewed perception of progress. And so that's why in today's episode, I'm going to share the last four of the eight NVS that you need to know so that you can stop stressing out about the number that you see on the scale. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review that comes from ex and I land, she said. Practical and inspiring. My favorite part of the Embrace Trail podcast is the variety and consistency of every episode. There's a great variety of very practical tips and information that can be used to grow in physical and mental health, but also many episodes focusing on mindset and inspiration. [00:01:42][72.8]
[00:01:43] This podcast is a great place to come for both mental and physical tips and easy implemented hacks, as well as more long term work. Julie melts all aspects of health and happiness beautifully, regardless of the episode's topic. I always finish listening with a sense of peace, as well as a fire under my booty to grow and progress. I also love her voice and find it very soothing. This podcast is definitely worth a try. Whether you're just starting out in your health and fitness journey or you've been at it for a while. Oh, I love this so much. There's so many things in there, and I'm just so grateful that you took time out of your day to send in this review. Reviews really do help us out in terms of the podcast. Not only know how we're helping you and how each episode is helping you, but also it helps people who stumble upon the podcast. And maybe they're looking to tune in to the podcast, but they don't know if it's going to be the best fit for them. So if you could scooch over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review, that would mean the absolute world to me and our team. Again, it just lets us know how we're doing, and it lets other people kind of know what the podcast is about before they decide to tune in. Okay, so let me quickly recap the four that I talked about in part one. So like I said, this is a two part series. You don't have to listen to part one first, but if you are interested, after I kind of do this recap, I will go ahead and link part one in the show notes that you can easily go tune into that episode after this episode, but the four that I mentioned in last week's episode was NSV number one. [00:03:06][83.2]
[00:03:06] You have increased energy levels. NSV number two, you moved a lot of weight in your workouts each month. And this is, you know, especially if you're logging your workouts in the moment with Julie app, you'll be able to see the amount of weight that you're lifting in each workout, and then you'll be able to look at your profile and look at how much weight maybe you moved in that week or that month, and that can be so, so encouraging. NSV number three, your mindset about your body has been a lot more positive. And last but not least, NSV number four you slip your sleep is a lot better and deeper. You just feel like the quality of your sleep has has progressively gotten better. So let's get to the last four. NSV so NSV number five you celebrate your progress photos I absolutely love progress photos. They're probably my personal favorite non scale victory to celebrate. And let me just kind of give you a few pointers. If you haven't taken progress photos before, or if you haven't really taken them seriously and you want to start taking them seriously, one thing I would encourage you to do is find an outfit that you will be wearing. So whether this is a sports bra and shorts, a sports bra and boy shorts, it can be a bikini. What? Honestly, whatever you feel comfortable in, you just want to make sure that you're wearing the same thing from week to week, month to month, because that's where you're going to be able to see the real progress. And also, the most important thing that you're going to want to do is be sure to take it first thing in the morning after you wake up and after you go to the bathroom, before you eat or drink anything. [00:04:30][83.6]
[00:04:30] So just making sure that the time of day is the same every time that you're taking the progress photos. Similar to when I encourage people to take body measurements in the same way. And again, this is just going to eliminate as many variables as possible to ensure that you're getting the most accurate representation of your progress photo from week to week, month to month. So take a photo again. This is going to be ideally first thing in the morning. So if you can prop it against a windows windowsill, if you have a tripod, if you're just taking it in a mirror, whatever you do, just make sure that you do it the same with the same angles every single time. And if you are doing like propping it against a windowsill, I have a tripod. The easiest thing that I found to do is just start recording a video, and then you're able to take screenshots of that. So when you record the video, you're going to stand with your hands down in the front and then go to the side. And you can either put your hands out. Where you can keep them down at your side. I like to put them out because it just gives you a better representation of your side profile. And then you're back, obviously. Same thing facing the back. So your booty towards the camera and then your arms are down. So again just having the same pose every single time. And I have just found that a video can just capture that super easy without me having to do like a self-timer or anything like that. And again, this is going to help you see the changes that you might not notice because you're looking at yourself every single day, right? It's like watching paint dry. [00:05:58][87.5]
[00:05:58] We start our bodies daily. We try to see if we see any change. We just need to let go of that and instead just allow ourselves to take the progress photos and allow the progress to speak for itself. From week to week, month to month. And again, this can be every single week. I found that that can be super overwhelming for some people. So if if every single week is a little bit too much for you, do it every two weeks or do it every four weeks, but you just want to make sure that you're giving yourself an adequate amount of time, with not too much time in between, so that we are able to see those small progress that you are making. And I will tell you, like if you do, you know, on the first of the month and the last day of the month, so 30 days or 30, 30 some odd days in between. You'll be so surprised at the results that you see, especially again, just because you're seeing yourself in the mirror every single day. And it's just like when you look back at photos. So I was just looking back at old photos of Joshua and I, and we've been together for over ten years now. And it's crazy because when I look back at the photos, I'm like, oh my gosh, we look so, so different. But when I just look at him every single day, I don't notice those big changes. And it's because I see him every single day. And so looking back can be so encouraging and just so surprising at what you find. NSV number six you have more muscle definition. So notice the shoulders looking sharper in the mirror. Or maybe you can finally see some outline of your, you know, your core, your abs peeking through. [00:07:21][82.8]
[00:07:22] I want you to celebrate that. Like the the hump in your bicep when you flex. Like those are all things to celebrate. Increased muscle definition is a fantastic non scale victory that deserves the recognition. Muscle is denser than fat, so even if the number on the scale stays the same. Remember that your body composition is likely changing for the better and this means that you're getting stronger. It could mean that you're getting more tone, which essentially just means that you're lessening your body fat so that you're seeing the actual muscle and you're successfully building the body that you want. So don't wait for this scale to budge. Seeing those muscle lines emerge, that can be a clear sign that you're on the right track. And it's a visual reminder of just hard work and a powerful motivator to keep you pushing forward. I don't know about you, but I don't know. There's something about just that flex that you're just like, oh, I feel so good. I feel so strong and so celebrate that. That is definitely something to celebrate. And a non scale victory. NSV number seven consistency. Consistency is the most important thing when it comes to successfully building the body that you want. And so if you are being consistent, it is inevitable that your body is going to change and you need to celebrate that. So if you don't step on the scale or take a single body measurement, but you're tracking how consistently you follow your plan and you're hitting that, you know you're hitting that plan at least 80% of the time. I promise you, there will be progress. There is no way for you to not see progress if you are that consistent with nourishing your body and moving your body on a monthly basis. [00:08:51][89.7]
[00:08:52] So instead of tracking your weight, I want to encourage you to track your consistency. How many days have you gone honoring your body with movement in a row? No, not working out every day, but moving your body every day. How many days in a row have you been conscientious of? You know, hitting your protein, carbs and fat allotment for that day? Or at the very least, your protein goal and maybe your overall calorie goal? Again, it doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to be consistent, and it needs to be the best that you can do with whatever life is throwing at you. I always tell people that I say, do the best that you can with what you have to give each day and let that be enough. So I want to encourage you to grab a calendar. And every single day that you stay on plan market with a snack. So at the end of the month, if you see at least 80% of that calendar covered with excess, and if you do that for three months, it is going to be inevitable that you will see progress in your body. If you are noticing that maybe you're only earning, you know, 40 or 50% of access on that calendar each month, that could be a clear data sign that something needs to change that you do maybe need to implement consistency more effectively throughout your week, and that's where you can really game plan and ask yourself, you know, okay, what are the things that I'm doing that are working and what are the things that I'm doing that are not working? And that, again, will allow you to just become more consistent and become more aware of your day to day so that you can build that game plan so you can gain that consistency. [00:10:17][84.7]
[00:10:18] Tracking your consistency might not be, you know, the most exciting thing to celebrate. But in my in my opinion, it is one of the. Biggest accomplishments that you can reach when it comes to changing your overall body composition, because it's the it's the actions that you take. That's what leads to the results that you'll see. And last but not least, NSV number eight you are happier. This is a clear sign that you're you know, you're healthy. Lifestyle choices are positively impacting your well-being beyond your physical benefits, right? Exercise is a natural mood booster. It releases endorphins that can combat stress and alleviate feelings and of stress and anxiety, and also elevate those feelings of happiness and fulfillment and purpose. And plus, nourishing your body with what it needs provides you with the energy and nutrients that your brain needs to function optimally, leading to that increased focus and a more positive outlook on your life. So I don't want you to underestimate the power of a good mood. A can genuinely feel your motivation to keep making healthy choices, whether that's sticking to your workout, your workout routine, making smarter you know, food selections, your meals, your snacks, and when you feel good, you're more likely to embrace challenges and navigate setbacks with a positive attitude. So next time you catch yourself feeling happy, healthy, energized, take a moment to recognize this is an NSV because it is a beautiful reflection of the positive changes that you are making for both yourself, inside and outside. So there you have it. Those are my eight non scale victories. Let me quickly recap what we talked about in today's episode. So NSV number five you celebrate your progress photos NSV number six you have more muscle definition NSV number seven you have been more consistent. [00:12:00][102.9]
[00:12:01] So you've seen that consistency calendar. And it's filled you know at least 80% of the time NSV number eight you are happier. So I hope that these episodes, these two episodes again part one will be linked in the show notes that you can easily go tune in, but I hope that that inspires you at the very least, encourages you to maybe step off the scale, stop allowing the scale to dictate how you feel about yourself and your progress, and really open your eyes to everything else that is changing, both within and outside of you. Again, there are so many things to celebrate in this journey, and I think the moment that we take our eyes off of the scale and instead we focus on other things that will likely encourage us to stay motivated, stay encouraged, stay inspired, and that is what is going to keep us going. So that is all that I have for today's episode. I hope that you found this helpful. If you have a friend or coworker or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can always copy the link, send it to them in a text message. Be sure to also screenshot this. I love connecting with you guys. I love seeing your moments and if you have any other nerves that you personally have been, you know, clinging on to something that you've been focusing on, I would love to know about that. So be sure to direct message me. You can either direct message me on the Instagram on Embrace Real Movement with Julie Julia Ledbetter or wherever you follow. I love, love, love, connect to you guys, but that is all that I have for today. I love you so dang much. I mean, I'll talk to you next one. [00:13:35][7.3]
[00:13:35] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:14:31][0.0]