Three Reasons Why the Scale Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
As women, we are taught at a young age that the number on the scale is IMPORTANT. This number follows us around: on our licenses, at our doctor’s visits, and can even be a topic of casual conversation.
But, does that number tell the whole story of our health and fitness? HELL NO.
Here are three reasons why the scale doesn’t accurately depict your overall health:
The scale does not show muscle mass.
Muscle is DENSE. The scale doesn’t just weigh your body fat, it also weighs your muscle. If you are new to the gym and just starting weight training, it can be frustrating to step on the scale and see little to no change, or worse: the scale going up. Most of the time this is due to a few things (keep reading), but when you are gaining muscle mass and losing body fat this can often be the case. Does that mean you are becoming less fit? Once again, HELL NO.
2. After intense exercise, you weigh more.
Yes, you read that right. You will often see people step on the scale after a tough workout to see how much weight they lost (shocker, most of the time it’s men). But did you know that your muscles become inflamed after workouts? Think about when you do a really tough upper body workout and you get “the pump”? *insert Arnold Schwartzenagger voice*. That’s because your muscles are quite literally inflamed. Plus, if you’re hydrating properly to replenish the water you are losing by sweating, you will be retaining water.
3. Your weight fluctuates based on a ton of small factors.
There are a few questions you can ask when you see the scale fluctuating:
Are you on your period, or expecting your period?
Are you experiencing hormonal imbalances?
Are you going through menopause?
Are you dehydrated?
Have you gone to the bathroom today?
Did you eat salty food (sodium) today?
All of these things affect your body weight. Hormonal changes are a huge cause in weight fluctuation for women that often goes under the radar. If the number on the scale changes daily, that is not abnormal.
There are so many ways to track progress that are not stepping on the scale. Check out our blog “Ways to Measure Progress That Aren’t the Scale”.
