Your morning started off fine, but then you stepped on the scale. At that point your day either got much better or much worse. Why does this objective number trigger so much emotion? Weight is a useful number, but it is a data point, not a complete picture of your health or you as a person.
When you see that number staring back at you from the scale, you can get upset or you can get curious. If your numbers are up, ask yourself why this might be. Start noticing how foods effect you and how your body fluctuates with changes in stress, sleep, and hormonal cycles. Likewise, if your numbers are down, ask yourself what you did differently and consider how you can integrate those habits more often. If you detest the scale, either switch it over to kilograms (those numbers may not have the same emotional charge) or ditch it! This is not the only way to track what’s going on with your body.
Circumference measurements are one of my favorite simple tracking methods. Take a soft tape measure and hold it level around the largest part of your hips, chest, and your waist at the belly button. If you don’t want to see the numbers, use ribbon or twine and compare ribbon length from one week to the next. The most important of the three measurements is the waist because both belly fat and inflammation in the gut are crucial health markers. A gradual reduction in the waist measurement indicates loss of belly fat, one of the most dangerous places to store excess fat. A more rapid reduction in waist circumference, typically seen after a specific food(s) is eliminated, indicates that whatever you took out was causing inflammation and bloating in the gut. In either case, this is useful feedback that can give you direction as you move forward.
On the subject of inflammation, another important measure of health is C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a blood protein that rises in relation to inflammation in the body. This can be measured with a simple blood draw at your doctor’s office. Chronic inflammation is linked to a host of age-related degenerative diseases including arthritis, cancer, coronary artery disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and increased risk for heart attack. Reduce inflammation in your body by reducing inflammatory foods, increasing antioxidant-rich foods, stress reduction, and exercise. Minimizing your consumption of sugar, trans-fats, dairy, fried foods, artificial sweeteners, processed meats, refined flour, and food allergens can help reduce chronic inflammation in the body. Exercise and meditation are wonderful tools for decreasing stress and inflammation. Simply adding 5 minutes of morning meditation and 20 minutes of exercise to your day will make a significant difference in how you feel and your long-term health.
Other data points that can be used to assess personal health include digestion, energy, quality of sleep, resting heart rate, physical fitness, and your general outlook. As you make lifestyle changes toward improving your health, track any number of factors that feel well suited to your specific goals. Use this data to inform you about the effects of your efforts and to determine what changes are having the greatest impact.
- Julia is a Personal Nutrition and Wellness Coach. Learn more about coaching, meal plans, and read her blog at nutritionwithjulia.com
