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Blog, Health & Wellbeing

Over the years I have explained to my clients why the scales are not an accurate way to measure your real progress. Even when presented with all the rational explanations for why the scales are not a accurate measurement of progress, people still fixate on that number as the only measure of their success. I have had clients come to me who are obsessed with their scales and weigh themselves up to five times a day. Yes that’s right..five times a day! It’s unfortunate but for most of us, the number on a scale is the determining factor in whether we’ve succeeded or failed. For many it becomes an obsession. 

The truth is your weight is just one aspect of your progress. The scale cannot give you specifics of what’s going on inside your body. Did you know you could be easily losing inches without losing any weight at all?

Daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can’t resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can’t bring yourself to throw the scale in the bin, you should definitely familiarise yourself with the factors that influence its readings. There are important changes happening in your body that the scale can’t measure or detect. Some of these are listed below:

Changing Body Composition:
Muscle takes up less space than fat, making you look slimmer, and it’s more metabolically active. When you exercise, you gain muscle, raise your metabolism and lose fat, but that fat loss won’t always show up on the scale. Where it will show up is in measurements, how your clothes fit and how your body looks.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang on to its water supplies with a vengeance. Your body’s hydration level fluctuates from hour to hour and dehydration can result in the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt:
Excess Salt can also play a big role in water retention and influence the scale to fluctuate upwards. Cut back on your salt intake and hidden salt in foods such as soups and sauces.

Prior to menstruation women can retain several pounds of water. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Premenstrual water weight gain can be minimised by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high sodium processed foods to a minimum. 

Ditch Those Scales Today!

So how much do you rely on the scale? Do they motivate you or does it make you feel worse? Would you ever consider getting rid of your scale permanently? If weighing yourself motivates you in a positive way, there’s no reason to change what you’re doing. However, if the scale makes you feel like a failure and unhappy, it may be time to try something new.

Changing your focus to goals that work on your fitness, strength and heath is a great way to take the focus off those scales and the number on the dial, which too many people allow to control their feelings and moods.

When it comes down to it, the best measurement should always be how you feel about yourself, how do your clothes feel, how do they fit and how do you feel about the effort you are putting in? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don’t be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Don’t let a number on a dial ‘make’ or ‘break’ your day. Ditch those scales today!

Are You Obsessed With Your Scales? 

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Blog, Dal's Ramblings

Wow! Almost 20 years in the health and fitness industry. The journey has not always been easy. Pursuing a career in an industry where I was a minority was sometimes challenging. I took a few risks and broke some of the rules. I still seem to be very good at that even today! 🙂 My passion, drive, my ‘Why’ was to help others to be the very best possible version of themselves: healthier, happier, successful and to live a life they truly deserve.

My poetic rambling is a reflection of the early days in my career. I hope you enjoy it.

“Sweaty Floors and Broken Nails”

Working in fitness wasn’t a place for a girl like me..

Instructing 6 ft men to lift wasn’t meant to be.

6.30 a.m gym starts and 10.30 pm, whispering ‘Honey I’m home’..

Often tired and feeling so alone.

Sweaty floors and broken nails..

There is no option to ever fail.

One more rep..

Come on..

Take one more step.

Sharing all my secrets..

None were kept.

I know one day they will see..

I am that girl who holds the key.

Sweaty floors and broken nails..

There is no option to ever fail.

Follow my passion..

Follow a dream..

Don’t you see it was just meant to be.

Working in fitness was a place for a girl like me.

Instructing 6 ft men to lift was just meant to be 🙂

Sweaty floors and broken nails..

There was NO option to ever fail.

Health. Happiness. Success : www.daldhaliwal.com

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Blog, Health & Wellbeing

The best time to exercise really depends on your personal preference. For many of us it depends on when we can fit it into our busy schedule. Some people prefer to exercise in the morning and they find this to really help them kick start their day and get them psyched up for the day ahead.

However, it’s important to remember in the morning our muscles are not normally ‘loose’ as later in the day. This is because our body temperature and blood sugar levels are lower. If you do opt to exercise in the morning then allow yourself more time to warm up before you commence your workout.

Some people can not bear the thought of getting up early to fit in exercise and prefer to workout in the evening and find this fits better into their daily schedule – and for some evening workouts help to relieve work day stress.

If you have issues sleeping such as Insomnia then the thought of getting up early to exercise, hitting the gym or going for a run could prove difficult and very unappealing. If you lack motivation in the morning then exercising later in the day is a better option.

For some people, lunchtime is the best time to exercise. It’s important to remember not to exercise immediately after eating a meal. This is because the blood that would circulate to your muscles will be going to your digestive tract.

Therefore it is recommended that you give yourself 90 minutes after consuming a heavy meal. Be sure to eat after you workout and not before, too close to your workout time.

The truth is that there is no reliable evidence or research to suggest that calories are burned more efficiently at certain times of the day. However, the time of the day can influence how you feel when exercising.

Different people will have different preferences and respond differently to exercise at different time of the day. So it’s a case of trailing a few different times to determine the best time for you.

It also depends on other factors such as; precise time of day, location, type of physical activity, social setting, and who you are with etc. This can play a major factor in how consistent you maybe with your exercise schedule.

Try working-out in the morning for a few weeks and then maybe during the day, try midday and then early evening. See which you enjoy the most. It is also a good idea to look at what type of exercise you are doing and also your daily commitments.

Once you establish a time that suits you then it will become a habit. It is important to vary your exercise and plans so that you don’t become bored. This will also help you stay more motivated.

The most important thing is to choose a time of the day you can stick with, so that exercise becomes a habit. To get the benefits and results it is essential you regularly exercise – keep it consistent!

Thank you for reading! 

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