The Elephant In The Room

...no, not meaning you, my friend! I'm talking about that little piece of equipment that so harshly coughs up your current poundage...you know the one...it may be collecting dust in the corner or is buried under a pile of clothes, so that you don't have to face it. The scale! Ewww, the word alone is enough to fill us with dread, but the readings can send us in a downward spiral of self-loathing for the next several days, huh?!! So, how do we get out of having to feel uncomfortable? We avoid stepping on it...we hide it...or, worse yet, we play this little game of "I don't use a scale, I just judge where I'm at by my clothes size". Oh, avoidance and denial are such sweet bedfellows, when we just don't want to deal with our reality!

Know what you weigh! Pull out your scale and STEP ON IT! A number will appear...it is all yours...you own it, good or bad. Good or bad, acknowledge that that is where you're at...it is information that you can use, in your actions going forward. Write it down and keep it in plain site, as a reminder or motivator or baseline. Then, keep weighing in regularly...I'm talking weekly or biweekly, not annually! No need to tip-toe around a scale...it is just another tool in your arsenal of personal accountability. It offers another piece of information for you to work with is all!

BMI Got You Thinking WTF?

BMI...Body Mass Index. What is it?...what does it mean to you? Your BMI number helps in assessing whether or not your are in a healthy weight range. To figure this out, a mathematical formula uses your height, weight, and some other random numbers to get your ratio number. You can then use your result to find what category you would fall in...underweight, normal, or obese.

Or, what I like to do is just find a free BMI calculator on-line that allows me to input my gender, age, height, and weight, then magically spits out my number and tells me where I fall on the grid! Despite your dress-size and weight, your BMI can give you an idea of your overall health. Obviously, your aim should be to fall in the normal category. Since your height is likely to not change a whole lot, adjusting your weight is the only way to change your BMI reading. Yes, I know there are other factors and such that say BMI is not a perfect system, but it DOES provide feedback to you and is a pretty commonly used measure of health, so I'm not going to argue the finer points here!

So, use a couple of the following resources to get your BMI reading, so that you have more information on YOUR general health...whether or not you really want to see it or are happy with your result. Once you know, you can make a plan, make some decisions, adjust your goals, and record a baseline to move forward with...then, you can take action! Mine is 21.8, in the normal category. Feel free to share your results!

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html