BodyBack Transformation Day 1

Today we started a new {BodyBack Transformation} class with my local Fit4Mom group. In case you aren’t familiar with the class, it is a high intensity class designed to transform your body at any point in your life, but especially giving you that extra boost after having a baby. The class starts with a fitness assessment, where you also receive a meal planner, nutrition guide, and recipe book.

What are assessments for? This is one of my FAVORITE parts of the class. They take your weight, body measurements, the time it takes you to run 1 mile, number of bicep curls you can complete in a minute, number of squats you can complete in a minute, plank time, and side plank times (on both sides). Why is this my favorite part? Because 2 years ago when I started my Whole30 journey I learned that there is SO much more to your health than the number on the scale. Measuring your success by seeing your strength improve, beating your own personal records, seeing inches lost, and seeing your pictures change… THAT is the true measure of success in my book.
It’s taken me a while to be comfortable with that honestly. I have weighed pretty much the same for almost an entire year. I used to have a number in mind that I wanted to reach. It is still 10 pounds away. After not reaching that number for some time, but seeing other positive changes in my life, I have accepted the fact that that is my “new normal”. In a world that is driven by extreme weight loss, celebrating pounds lost, and biggest “losers”. It can be hard to be OK if the scale doesn’t move for you. But why am I okay with my number? Let me share with you my numbers that matter.

First numbers are from my very first assessment in August of this past year. Second are from today.

Mile time: 9:40 versus 8:27
Bicep Curls: 31 reps using 5lb weights – 30 reps using 10lb weights
Squats: 31 vs 34
Push-ups: 16 vs 30
Plank Time: 1:30 vs 4:00 mins
I’ve also lost an inch in my hips, and two inches in my thighs.

I’ve GAINED muscle definition I haven’t had before.
I’ve GAINED endurance.
I’ve GAINED strength I didn’t know I had.
I’ve GAINED a healthy relationship with food.

Looking at those assessments above, and the pictures below, are such great motivation for me. I am thankful for this journey, for this class, and for the process of becoming the healthiest person I can be.

I am sharing this post in hopes that it encourages just one person in their journey. If you haven’t seen the number on the scale move, have you looked in other areas of your life for non scale victories? If you are just starting out on a journey, take pictures, take your own assessment, give YOURSELF something personal to beat. You are not defined by a number on a scale. You are worth SO much more than that.