So you’re committed to a healthy lifestyle. You have tried as much as possible to hit the gym every day when they open their doors, you’ve ditched sugary drinks and sodas for water, and you have also brought healthy fruits and vegetables back to the center of your plate. Then you step on the scale, only to find out that you haven’t lost a single pound after all your hard work, or you’ve even added, which can be even more frustrating. You wonder if it is even worth it? Trust me, I’ve been there and I understand the feeling. I was doing all that I needed to do, yet I wasn’t seeing the results that I wanted to see. This can be really frustrating if you aren’t careful because it may feel like all of your efforts are going down the drain.
If you are wondering if it is worth it, of course, the answer is yes. Although weight loss can take time, and although it can seem like a long and daunting process, there are other changes that are happening in your body, as well as your mind that you simply can’t ignore. After just a few days of sticking with your healthy lifestyle plan, you might start to notice a difference in your energy level, stress level, quality of sleep and overall feelings about yourself. By consistently tracking your progress in these areas, you can stay motivated and learn to appreciate all the little improvements you are seeing, regardless of what the scale tells you. Remember that scales are not always the be-all and end-all of every weight loss journey. What you should use to assess your weight loss journey as well as your progress is your energy level, the way your skin looks, and your overall mood.
Taking a daily stock of your energy level, stress level, sleep quality and self-esteem is really important for everyone who is trying to live a healthier life. It will help you notice trends and patterns (for example, it is usually easier to eat more junk food on high-stress days or sleep better when you exercise in the morning.)
Based on what your lifestyle is and the pace t which you do things, you can tweak your plan to get the most results out of your effects. It can also help you appreciate the small achievements and milestones that you have come across which include: feeling more confident when you exercise regularly feeling good about yourself when you eat well for a whole week and notice a difference in the texture of your skin. Because of all of these, it is important to measure and track your wellness levels on a regular basis so that you can keep track of yourself.
Here are some tips that you can use to assess your daily wellness in each of these four areas that are pertinent to your overall well being as well as your weight loss journey.
Energy Level
Accessing your energy level can be important because it can help you know where you stand exactly with your overall health. Do you feel easily fatigued? Are you constantly feeling sleep? I used o struggle with this a long time ago until I finally got the right remedy for my fatigue. Energy levels are affected by different things, so identify what exactly affects your energy level. On a scale of 1-5 ( where 5 is the highest), how is your energy level today? Do you feel full of vigor and ready to tackle the challenges of the day (5), as if you can barely drag yourself out of bed (1) or somewhere in between? Many factors can significantly affect your energy: how much you slept the night before, how stressed you are at work, whether you’re exercising too much or too little (both of which can really affect your energy level), and the quality of your diet (too many sweets and not enough nutrient-rich foods can both be detrimental to your health). Serious health conditions like depression, pneumonia and anemia can also affect your energy levels, so it may be worth your while to talk to your doctor if you notice a long-term trend of tiredness and fatigue.
Stress Level
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest), how would you rate your stress level today? Do you feel like you’re about to bite someone’s head off (5), like everything just rolls off your back (1) or something in the middle? Stress affects more than your quality of life. It can really contribute to your high blood pressure and hinder your weight loss, making you want to eat more or causing you to eat as a way to relieve stress. There are many ways to reduce stress, from exercising and meditating to simply relaxing or practicing breathing exercises. Looking for some easy ways to reduce the stress in your life? If you notice a problem with stress, learn how to deal with it in a healthy way before it gets the best of you. Learning how to manage stress in the workplace is really important as well because of the quality of your work and the quality of your life and relationships.
Quality of Sleep
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest), how well did you sleep last night? how often do you get in at least seven hours of sleep? Did you feel well-rested when you woke up this morning (5)? Did you toss and turn all night and feel terrible today because of it (1)? How easy was it for you to fall asleep? Did you feel rested enough when you woke up? was it high, low, or something in the middle? Like stress, poor sleep can also lead to a host of other health problems, from weight gain to a very unhealthy immune system. Getting in enough sleep is very important to living a healthy life and accomplishing your weight loss goals.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is very vital to weight loss and also very important for your overall mental health. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest), how good do you feel about yourself today? Do you feel confident and self-assured like a rock star (5), like you don’t matter and there’s nothing good about you (1) or something in the middle? Your self-esteem goes hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle, and you have to. If you don’t think you’re worthy of good nutrition, moderate exercise, and a better body, then you can lose your motivation to make the right choices or even maintain your weight loss goals. You need the confidence to be able to go after what your weight loss goals are so that you can achieve them. When you feel like you’re worthwhile, you’re more likely to make the best possible choices to care for yourself and for your body as well. It is is not easy to go from chronically low self-esteem to high confidence, trust me I know, but it is very possible. Learn how you can use exercise, positive self-talk, and yoga to feel better about yourself and your body. It will also be helpful to do the things that make you happy and the activities that make you feel good about yourself and reassured about what your abilities are.
It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and start obsessing over calories, pounds and the size of your clothes, but taking these daily wellness measurements and following them carefully is a good reminder that your overall feelings of health and well-being are just as important. Have it at the back of your mind that you have to incorporate all of these with the utmost dedication. Lifestyle changes like these take some time to get used to, but you can totally do it!
