Non-Scale Victories: How to Track Progress After 40

Nikkiey: Real quick, if you want to learn more about macronutrients and understand that methodology and how they can help you achieve your body composition goals of changing the way your body looks, I put together a free 15-minute training where I dive into macronutrients and how you can control your body for the rest of your life with them. That link is in the description below. Click on it after listening to the show today. And I promise you that you're going to see way more changes happening in a progress photo than you are happening on the scale, especially when you are in the world of wanting to build more muscle, doing strength training exercises, and decreasing body fat.

What's going on, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show. Or if you are a new listener, my friends, welcome to the show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I'm your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode number 89, where I want to walk through some amazing non-scale victories and their importance.

Because tracking your progress along your fitness journey goes beyond the damn scale, okay? And I know all of y'all are attached. Literally, you guys have this emotional reaction, whether good or bad, based off of what that number says on the scale when you step on it. In the morning, you choose to step on it, right? If the scale goes down, the rest of your day, you are absolutely elated. You're walking with a pep in your step, head held high, you've got confidence, all the things, because the scale went down, okay?

Now, you step on that scale, but the scale goes up, and all of a sudden the rest of your day is just filled with negativity, filled with misery. You go and stick your hand in Bob's M&M jar down the hallway because you're like, fuck it, nothing's working. My journey for the last two weeks isn't working. What I've been doing for the last month isn't working. And for so many of you guys, and maybe this is just for another podcast, there are ways I would say for you to use that type of measuring tool for your progress.

There are points where I would say it's good and where it's bad, and it solely depends on the relationship that you have with it. But for the sake of today's podcast, I want to talk about non-scale victories. Because like I just touched on, in today's world many of us have been conditioned to rely on the number on the scale as the primary indicator of whether you're making progress or not. However, it's such a narrow focus. There are so many other meaningful, impactful ways you can measure whether your progress is successful or not.

The scale is by no means the only way, or even the most meaningful one. So I want to take a moment and dive into the other realm of non-scale victories, right? The other things that can help you understand their pivotal significance and help you rely on them a little bit more than you rely on the scale. You really cannot look at the scale as 100% of whether you're making progress or not.

It is not the only tool to measure that type of thing. And honestly, in my opinion, in the world that I come from, wanting you guys to build muscle, aka be more toned and have a more athletic appearance, that scale is probably like 20%. Don't quote me on that. But it is of that little importance when it comes to tracking your progress, whether you're being successful in building more muscle and decreasing body fat and losing body fat and all this stuff. It literally holds little significance.

And I promise you I'm going to get into the podcast. But to date, with the women that I've coached, I have always looked at every other means, these things I'm going to share with you today, as a measure of whether we're making progress or not. And then I'll go to the scale as the very last thing. That's what I really hope you guys gain from this podcast: the other things to look at in terms of whether you are making progress or not.

And that you step back from relying so much on the scale. Because you guys, the way you rely on the scale or not could literally paint the trajectory of your entire journey. I don't want that for you, because just because the scale reflects something doesn't mean you are not making progress. I should do a whole other podcast on the scale and why all the things I'm saying are relevant and why it doesn't matter too much and why X, Y and Z. But for today's podcast, I'm going to dive into some other victories that are not related to the scale.

So let's dive into number one. First and foremost, consistency in your routine. I want you guys to celebrate the win of working out for a certain number of days consecutively, right? Whether it's five days or 50 days, with rest days in between. Every day you commit to your health is a huge triumph, you guys. And think about it, too. I'm going to touch on this in a later point, but think about what you were doing two months ago compared to what you're doing now that you weren't doing then, right?

So celebrate the fact that two months ago you weren't going into the gym, or you weren't exercising, or you weren't drinking the water, or you weren't focusing on your sleep, or you weren't choosing whole foods over processed foods. And now you are, and you're doing it consistently. That's a huge freaking win, and I want you to celebrate that. I want you to recognize that you're on the path, and I'm going to talk about this again later too, to leading a healthier lifestyle for yourself with what you're now taking action on and being consistent with.

And even in the first couple of weeks of getting into your journey, if you're at least working out once more than you were two months ago, that's a huge freaking win. So I want you to celebrate that win.

Number two, taking measurements and progress photos. I really need to highlight this one the most. I think it's probably one of the most important ones, second to the last one that I'm going to share with you guys. Taking your measurements and your progress photos. And hold on really quick, because some of you guys are going to be like, oh, I dread progress photos.

I hate the way that I look. I'm fat. I don't like these areas of my body. I'm very uncomfortable in my body. But that is the whole reason why you are on this journey for yourself. You're on this journey to make a change, and you better be documenting it, because the more you make the change, you're going to love to look back at those photos and be like, holy shit, I did it. I made these changes, right? And I promise you that you're going to see way more changes happening in a progress photo than you are happening on the scale, especially when you are in the world of wanting to build more muscle, doing strength training exercises and decreasing body fat.

There's a whole other podcast on the difference between weight loss and fat loss, so you can go and delve into that podcast. It's an earlier one, so go and find it, and it will help you with this mindset that I'm talking about. But most importantly, what I want you to understand, and why you need to take progress photos, is that muscle is denser than fat. So as you engage in strength training, physical activity where you're applying resistance to your body, you may gain muscle and you may lose fat, leading to little or no change on the scale.

But a significant change to your body composition. And that is because...

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Muscle and fat weigh the same, you guys. Five pounds is five pounds, equally. I've talked about this a lot, and you've probably seen this on Google. If you just Google muscle and fat, you'll see the image of five pounds of muscle and five pounds of fat, and they weigh the same.

The difference is that muscle is denser than fat, meaning it takes up less space than fat does. So when you're focusing on changing your body composition, you will notice you're getting smaller and smaller, more toned, right? That's because the muscle is taking up less space than the fat does. But the two of them weigh the same. So when you step on the scale, little or no change may be happening, but you could see the changes happening in your body composition for the sheer fact of what I just elaborated on.

So taking your body measurements and your progress photos can provide a visual and tangible record of your transformation. If you are not doing this right now, you are missing out on a pivotal experience for yourself along your fitness journey. And most importantly, you'll be able to tell your story to a friend who may be dealing with the same thing you've dealt with, and share the experience you've gone through with this transformation picture. So take the damn picture, whether you hate it or not, because you're going to have a story to tell in six months to a year, and then five years, and then eight years.

So please take the damn photos. Because over time, even if that scale does not budge, which I have seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times, you will notice that everything is improving. Your progress photos are showing the difference. Your posture is improving. Muscle becomes more defined, and certain areas of your body become more toned, even though the scale isn't budging. Still to this day, sometimes I have to help my clients or the WarriorBabe community break through this scale mindset.

Because so many women are still so attached to the scale, like it has all of this meaning, when really, and again, I should just do a whole other podcast on it, it doesn't hold that much meaning, especially with what I just unpacked for you guys. I hope that really drills it into your head: even though the scale isn't budging, you're engaging in physical activity like strength training or resistance that's causing your muscles to build. Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space than fat does.

That's why the same weight can still look different: you can see your body composition changing with nothing reflecting on the scale. That's why it's so important to take the progress photos, because you could be getting smaller, aka more toned. The scale isn't going to show that. The pictures are. And this is what's so cool. Okay, last thing I'm going to say about this. I literally weigh around the same. Actually, I weigh 10 pounds heavier than when I started my fitness journey. I weighed 140 when I first started my fitness journey. I do not look anything like I do right now.

Yet I weigh 10 pounds heavier, and that is because I have more dense lean muscle on my body than the body fat I used to have. Okay? So if you guys follow me and know me, you can paint a picture, right? I weighed 140. You could weigh 140 pounds, go through six months of a transformation, and still weigh 140 pounds, yet look drastically different. So to drill that one home, I just hope that resonates, that a lot of light bulbs go off for you, and that you accept a little bit more why you need to take pictures. And fuck the scale.

Another non-scale victory is an elevation in your mood and your well-being. If you're feeling better overall, you're feeling more confident, you're feeling happier, you're feeling at peace, you're walking into work with a pep in your step, you come home to your hubby with confidence, right? That's a testament to the holistic benefits of a healthy lifestyle. That is freaking huge. When you work out, when you strength train, you go into the gym, you do your physical activity,

that physical activity releases endorphins. They're often referred to as the feel-good hormones, right? They can uplift your mood, and they can literally combat feelings of anxiety or depression. That is a huge non-scale victory. Think about this. If you are six months into your journey, how did you feel before those six months? Did you have anxiety? Did you have depression? Were you always irritable? Were you unhappy? Were you not confident? And now, six months later, because you're doing all these things, you're working out, you're doing physical activity,

you're eating better, you're sleeping better, you're drinking more water, you have an elevated mood. Guys, that goes beyond the fucking number on the scale. That is huge. That is a true testament to you living a healthy freaking lifestyle, and it is so much more important than a number on the scale. So you should be celebrating that. That's a non-scale victory.

Another one is a surge of fucking energy. You guys, when I first started my fitness journey, I did not have nearly the amount of energy that I have right now. Thinking back over the years, sure, I did a lot of sports growing up. I was the captain of many sports teams, and I had energy, but the amount of energy I have now is just absolutely freaking ridiculous. So like I said earlier, if you're noticing a pep in your step, that is because regular strength training and regular activity boost your endurance,

increase your cardiovascular efficiency, and elevate your overall energy levels. So if you want to have more energy... I've listened to so many women say, I just don't have the energy I used to. It's because you're probably not moving as much as you used to, right? Or, I don't have as much energy as I did in my 20s and my 30s, and I'm 55, 60 years old now. You're not moving as much as you used to in your 20s and 30s, now that you're 55 and 60 years old. But I guarantee you, if you start working out,

you get your butt into the gym, you do more regular physical activity, and you're eating right, you are going to have a massive surge in your energy. You're going to be able to keep up with your grandkids. You're going to be running around with them yelling, Grandma, Grandma, come on, let's go, rather than you sitting on the couch watching the memories slip by you. That is huge. That is a non-scale victory. That is something to celebrate. That goes so far beyond a number on the scale.

A number on the scale, right? You can look at it, you can see if you're making progress or not making progress. But again, it's not telling you the whole story. If you feel or see all of these six things, you are winning at your fitness journey. You are winning at being on a healthier trajectory in your life.

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That goes way beyond the damn number on the scale, my friends. Okay. And then, second to these last three things that I just said: a renewed zest for life.

You wake up excited to start your day. You wake up with great signs of both mental and physical well-being. It means that you're not just existing anymore. You're thriving and looking forward to what each day brings. I can tell you that is a true testament to physical activity, physical exercise, and you making progress along your journey. You won't feel like every day is a dread anymore, right? For those of you who wake up in the morning and the first thought is, oh, I have to go to work today,

I'm so tired, I just want to keep sleeping. I guarantee you, if you show up for yourself, you discipline yourself into some new habits that you've never done before, you're working out every day, you're taking the rest days, you're getting enough sleep, you're drinking your water, you are going to be excited to wake up, kiss your husband, maybe do some hanky panky in the morning. You're going to be excited to get into work and crush your day, and be excited to go work out. You're going to have a new outlook on life.

And that by far is a huge victory to be celebrated. Because if you think back again to six months before you started your fitness journey, did you have that type of excitement about life? No. It's what I just said about waking up in the morning already in a negative attitude. Many of you guys can attest to this for sure, because I know you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is work out, and you're excited to go do that. Some days maybe not, but at least you have a consistent routine, you do it, and you feel better afterwards.

You have more energy. You have a new zest for life. You're ready to go to work. You have an elevated mood, right? All of these things come packed together. But this is definitely one of the six that I wanted to talk about, because you have to celebrate these non-scale victories. On top of that, here's one that isn't even on the list: celebrate the fact that you're getting stronger inside the gym, right? You're now doing two pull-ups compared to the zero you did two months ago. You're now doing 10 pull-ups compared to the two you did eight months ago.

You're now doing more miles in your running and endurance training than you did a month ago. You've now accomplished an Ironman or a half marathon, more than you ever imagined you'd be able to do five months ago, a year ago, right? These are huge things worth celebrating.

And the last one, which I think is so important, I've touched on in each one of these points I had to share with you. The sixth point is endurance growth, or what I just said with strength, right? Getting stronger. That pride you feel when you recognize that you can now walk further, for example, or run, or exercise for extended periods. That is absolutely valid to your progress.

If you feel and recognize that you can walk more, for example, progressing from a 10-minute walk to a 30-minute walk, that's a perfect example for my friends who have weight to lose, right? Or now you're focusing on taking out processed foods and putting in whole foods. That is a step forward in the right direction and a victory worth being celebrated, right? And let me tell you guys, with these non-scale victories,

over time, as you remain consistent, your body adapts. And tasks that seemed daunting before become way more manageable. That's where the journey is just so beautiful. Because you can't go back. What's that saying, right? Once you've seen things and once you've become aware of a better, healthier lifestyle, it's really hard to go backwards. But I mean,

some people actually do it. My brain just went, well, people go on this journey, they lose all this weight, and then all of a sudden they gain it right back. But I think it's because so many people are focused on the wrong thing in that respect. So many people are focused on getting to a destination rather than learning the habits they're instilling along the way to lose that weight, habits that can actually become ingrained for longevity and for the sustainability of keeping that weight off. So if you do these things, you celebrate these things, and you're consistent about everything,

everything becomes far more manageable, and you accept that this is now part of your lifestyle. And it takes time to get to that point. It takes a lot of time to get to that point. I don't want you guys to think it's an overnight process. You're going to hit some bumps in the road. You'll fail along the way. But those are just opportunities for you to learn and get better. I kind of just went off on a little rant there. But those are the six things I want you guys to focus on and celebrate as non-scale victories. Understand that there are so many things to measure your progress by

that go way beyond the scale. And it's essential to appreciate these small things that are part of your health journey. Sometimes these small changes can have the most profound impacts on your journey, right? Just by working out and exercising more, man, that can have a profound impact when you go to your doctor for your next visit and all of your blood work comes back looking better than it did six months ago. I've heard that one so many times.

And that's one of my favorites. It's a testament that it's not just all the physical, right? Not just what the scale says. Focusing on a number that makes you think you're going to look better in your body is just so deluded, if that's even a word. But anyway, these things seem small, but they have profound impacts. And non-scale victories might not always shout their presence, right? Not as much as stepping on a scale

shouts its presence, whether it goes up or down, like I talked about at the beginning of the podcast. But think about it like this. They're like whispered reminders of your dedication, of your growth, of the positive changes you're integrating into your life. And over time, those whispers compound. All of these small things don't always shout their presence. They're not sexy, and people aren't so gung-ho over them. But over time,

these things compound, these whispers compound, and they become a roaring testament to a life lived in a healthy, sustainable way. So next time you guys feel discouraged by that damn number on the scale, that stagnant number on the scale, please take a moment to reflect on all the other ways you have grown, you have transformed, you have triumphed. All of the ways,

like what you're doing now that you weren't doing a year ago, what you're doing now that you weren't doing two weeks ago, what you're doing now that you weren't doing three years ago. I still look at it that way. I'm like, damn, Nikkiey, you know what? I'm so proud of you, and I'm so proud of myself for all of these ways I continue to transform myself in my health and fitness journey. And that's what makes these small things so impactful. So next time you guys feel discouraged, be reminded. Listen back to this podcast,

save this podcast, share this podcast. And next time the numbers are stagnant, or you feel like your mood is being either elevated or discouraged by the number on the scale, take a moment to reflect on these non-scale victories, check in with yourself, and see how far you've come. Okay? I hope you guys enjoyed this podcast. I enjoyed sharing it with you all. And I'd appreciate it if you could take 30 seconds of your time after this podcast to leave a review and rate it. That's the only way this show grows right now. We don't have any ads,

any sponsored ads. We don't monetize this podcast. You are what makes this podcast top 20, you guys. So let's keep holding our spot there. Let's help this message spread to all of the other women who need to hear it, and I appreciate you doing that. I'll see you guys in the next podcast.

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