That little machine in the corner with the spinning dial that tells you how much you weigh is not really your friend, trust me. Want to know why? Because itâs lying to you. Donât believe me? Of course not, because ânumbers donât lie,â right? But these numbers do something worse than lying: they make you believe that theyâre important, even when theyâre not.
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The body positivity wave ushered in by our generation is a big step towards tearing down the unrealistic beauty goals and standards plaguing modern media, but encouraging acceptance of every body type and learning to love your own are two very different things.
Speaking from one of the most strictly slim and figure-enforced markets out there, that of a dancer, Iâve been in and out of my own uphill battle with weight and body image for as long as I can remember. Two years ago, when my mom told me I wasnât allowed to use the scale at the gym anymore because it would make me crazy, I laughed out loud.
Iâd just finished a year of college, I knew what I was doing and could take care of myself⊠right? Well, itâs not so funny anymore — because it turns out, sheâd gotten it exactly right.
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Here are the facts: muscle weighs a lot more than fat cells, because itâs denser and full of all the good things that make you strong. Replacing some of the fat in your body with muscle is the whole point of exercising, so your body composition is going to change and that could make it heavier. Unfortunately, stepping onto that scale after weeks of good workouts and seeing a higher number than last time gets very old very fast. Even in the face of progress, weighing yourself can be wildly discouraging. Â
So why deflate your self-confidence like that? Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are satisfied (the answer should always be âyesâ) rather than consulting some mean little machine. Being a little unenthused about whatâs reflected back at you and choosing to boost that elusive self-confidence with some healthy choices can — and should — be a harmless, even beneficial idea if it makes you feel good. But it must be done for you and you alone, not for the sake of the numbers on the scale that we think can quantify beauty.
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Yes, of course, it gets hard sometimes. Thereâs an imaginary finish line drawn at some number, some ideal weight that many would give anything to reach but is often too low to be reasonable. In the back of our minds, each decimal point above that magic number is a baby step further toward being branded by everyone as the dreaded âFâ word (no, not that one):
Fat.
No matter which way they spin it, for most of us out there it still stings, so itâs less than helpful to be using it against yourself. Try thinking of âfatâ as a noun, not an adjective. In that mindset, we cannot be fat. Our bodies store fat because it keeps us alive and gives us energy to get through this marathon sprint called âcollege.â If you think less about that word being something you are and more about it being something you have — something which everyone has, for that matter — then it becomes much more manageable to accept.
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If you ask me — which I know no one did but youâre here reading this article for a reason — only a doctor has a legitimate right to assess a personâs weight. Trained medical professionals are only looking out for concerns about health and well being, not whether their patient resembles a stick-figure runway model. More importantly, these very special people look after mental health as well, so theyâre just as opposed to you tearing yourself down. Maybe leave the business of stepping on a scale to the doctorâs office, where weight wonât be used as a weapon.
Far too often we let numbers tell us who we are, whether theyâre on transcripts, paychecks, or blinking on a scale, but the reality is that theyâre all fabricated. Numbers are made up. You and your body are real, so take comfort in the fact that a scale canât quantify you.