Okay, so you are probably thinking “I’m just going to skim through to find out what NSV stands for?” and that is totally okay because I would too. Just promise you’ll stay and read all 900 words? 😉

NSV: Non- Scale Victories

How many of you continue to rely on the scale to feel as if you’ve actually accomplished something in your journey thus far? You do? No worries, you are NOT alone. There are so many people out there that are still trapped in that pattern/ routine of constantly weighing themselves and just hoping that they weigh at least one less pound but even when you weigh at least one pound less, you think “What if it were more than just one pound? The truth is that unless you go several months without weighing yourself are you going to see that change and definitely your “goal” number. It is impossible to lose 40lbs in one month unless you’ve extremely changed your diet (including: supplements or weight loss products) or you’ve just begun your journey.

If I Don’t Weigh Myself, How Will I Know My Progress?

• Clothes

Measuring your success with clothing to me is one of the best ways to tell if you are progressing or not. Yes, I know what you are thinking… clothes shrinks!!! Well, yes it does but to a certain extent. After wearing a certain outfit for a bit- you as the “wearer” knows how this outfit usually fits. If you have a piece of clothing that drives you insane due to the fact that if fits you differently EVERY time, throw it away. JUST kidding, do not start throwing things out. Set those aside and know to not measure your progress with those certain items.

• Mental Health

Ask yourself “How do I feel?” instead of “How do I look, slimmer?”. You will most likely not be able to tell if you “look” slimmer considering that you are probably checking every morning or at every and any moment you get a glance of yourself. Take it easy friend, change takes time and not only with your body but with life in general. The way you feel is much greater than constantly checking for a physical change and getting disappointed time and time again if you don’t see what you are wanting to see yet (because you WILL soon).

• Are You Regular? (Oh sh*t, is she really going there?…)

Yup, I so am going there. It is imperative to have regular visits to the restroom for many reasons. It can help you release unwanted toxins with just going to the restroom as often as 5- 7 times a day. Don’t be shy when it comes to topics like this. It is important to know why you are feeling bloated, sluggish and just moody at times. Learning and understanding your body in every way could help you in the long run (yeah, running helps too…). Knowing if you are regular will help you identify signs of a healthy or unhealthy diet. Having healthy insides should be your first concern, the rest will come with your consistency and focus to just wanting to be healthy! There are so many articles out there about how often you should pee and poop. Here are two that I found helpful, this one is for pee and this one is for poop (here’s read #2 for more info on taking #2’s). Did you ever think you would see the words pee or poop on Get Fit For You?!

• Compliments, Take Them… Seriously!!

Have you ever received a compliment from a family member, friend or even stranger and find yourself automatically replying with “Oh really?” “This old thing?…” or “I actually need to go workout today, but thanks” Listen to me, take the compliment! If someone mentions how great you look, believe them!! Just think about how many times a day you see your reflection versus the amount of times that person sees you. It is much easier for them to notice a change since they don’t see you as often as you see yourself (also, you are your worst critic). A small three worded compliment is scientifically proven to improve your mood. Okay, so I’m not sure that it is in fact scientifically proven however I do know compliments make me feel better. The next time you see someone throw them a compliment or two.

• Upgrading From a 2.6 to a 3.2…

Maybe you haven’t noticed this victory because you are so used to hopping on the elliptical/ treadmill and just getting to work. Which is awesome, kill that workout you beast you. This one is an important one so start keeping track people. I used to miss this with every work out and once I started keeping track I felt stronger and better in general. What once was a fast jog for me before became a regular paced walk. I would have never noticed this accomplishment if it weren’t for me paying attention to my numbers. Knowing that my numbers were increasing kept me challenged and motivated for seeing higher numbers which in the end improved my endurance for not only running, but working out in general. Endurance is super important to have considering it is what keeps you going and powering through that tough work out. A common way to improve endurance is firstly going for a slow and steady jog. Keep note of which level of incline challenges you most along with the pace you are going at as well. Keep doing that with every other workout and I promise you will see a change. This is a great way to keep your body surprised and not allowing it to get used to walking at 3.0 therefore leading to a what most people experience in their fitness journeys- plateaus

Some of my personal NSV may seem silly to others and thats totally okay. We are all going to have different NSV and they are just as meaningful to each and every one of us. One of my favorites was crossing my legs. Being able to cross one leg over the other was a small yet meaningful victory for me. Growing up I didn’t think anything of it until I realized it was hard for me to cross one leg over the other because I had (and still have) bigger thighs. Maybe it was just me but I felt that since I had bigger thighs it made it super uncomfortable to cross my legs. Now I can sit without crossing my legs, it definitely became a habit.

Well, there are some example of some of my favorite NSV’s. I’m interested to learn more of your favorites so please feel free to share them with all of us; the more the merrier 😉