I posted a new weight to aim for, and I was excited to keep going. But things changed.
My senior year. I lost motivation to work out. I became stressed about the demands of schoolwork and applying for graduate programs, and I stopped paying attention to what I was eating. I gained back a few pounds, nothing serious, but I was not where I wanted to be.
The summer after senior year I joined a challenge group on Facebook, a group of women committed to pushing themselves and encouraging each other. There were fitness challenges and nutrition challenges. I LOVED it. It was just the push I needed to refocus myself. I stopped caring about that new goal weight I had set in 2013, and started concerning myself more with seeing what my body was capable of. The focus turned from how low my weight could get (don’t misunderstand, I was not obsessed with my weight), and instead became how STRONG I could get.
Today that is still my focus. In fact, I don’t step on the scale a whole lot anymore. My weight has stayed relatively stable over the last five months since that challenge group ended, but I have seen changes in my body and my mind.
Two years ago, my goal was a very specific number on the scale.
Today, my goal is to celebrate more non-scale victories (NSVs). Like buying jeans one size smaller. Like catching sight of myself in a mirror and being surprised to see some muscle definition. Like actually enjoying burpees (SAY WHAAT?!?). Like getting a compliment from a co-worker telling me that whatever I’m doing is working.
It’s been a fun journey so far, friends. Here’s to the road ahead.
