If you’ve spent any time in gyms or fitness programs, then you’ve probably heard the term “non scale victories”. In fact you’ve probably been coached to focus on them, especially if your weight loss goals are not being met or have plateaued.
Non Scale Victories refer to those gains or benefits we experience from an exercise routine besides weight loss.
Things like having more energy, being able to lift and move things without help, feeling less winded during everyday activities, and sleeping better at night.
While these are all good things, they are often viewed as “secondary wins”, things we usually only celebrate if we’re not seeing changes in our body’s shape or size.
In this blog post we’ll explore why that is problematic and can actually contribute to lack of motivation and consistency with exercise.
What is NSV?
A non scale victory or NSV as they’re often referred to, is basically any win that we experience from our exercise or eating habits that aren’t specifically weight related.
The idea behind celebrating non scale victories is to shift our focus from the scale and see the other gains that we are making so that we don’t feel defeated and give up on our movement routine.
Non Scale Victory Examples:
- Improvements in your fitness: being able to lift more, run further or faster, or being more mobile
- Changes in your day to day life: such as being able to carry the kids up the stairs to bed without getting out of breath, or being able to lift and move things without asking for help, bending and reaching your toes
- Sleeping better at night
- Having more energy and being in a better mood throughout the day
- Changes in health metrics like blood pressure, blood sugars and pain levels
Other types of NSV’s that are often celebrated are physical changes to our body composition or appearance.
This includes things like:
- Measuring body fat vs muscle mass,
- Looking in the mirror and checking your shape or looking for definition,
- Taking body measurements,
- Assessing how clothes fit
… and then celebrating that the workouts are being effective based on what you see.
Do Non Scale Victories Improve Exercise Motivation?
This is where things get tricky, and where I have a somewhat controversial opinion about non scale victories.
Since the research on motivation and consistency clearly shows that focusing on weight loss decreases motivation and results in struggles with consistency, one would assume that celebrating non scale victories would improve motivation.
And they do, IF our primary focus for movement is to improve our fitness or overall well being. In other words, if we take a weight neutral approach to fitness from the beginning.
Unfortunately, I tend to notice people celebrating non scale wins, only when the scale isn’t changing…. And that’s where non scale victories are problematic.
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When we celebrate non scale victories, often what we’re saying is “well my weight isn’t changing, but at least I have this other positive result”.
It almost feels like grasping at straws, trying to find some positive outcome for all our efforts, something to justify and make all that hard work seem worth it.
The Problem with Non Scale Victories
Non Scale victories become problematic when they’re seen as secondary benefits next to weight loss or body shaping.
Unfortunately, what usually happens is we’re only content with those “non scale victories” for so long. Eventually, what I’ve noticed is – if the scale doesn’t change, before long, the person will lose interest and give up. Then you feel like a failure, and find yourself back at square one looking to find some other solution that will “work”.
Therein lies the problem with non-scale victories.
Even though you might acknowledge these other benefits you’re experiencing from exercise, they are placed secondary to what happens on the scale. The real victory you’re searching for is a weight change, or a change in measurements or body composition that you’re assessing by how your clothes fit.
However you slice it – at the end of the day non scale victories often reinforce the belief that the primary reason for exercising or moving your body is to change your shape.
Move for More than Body Shaping
The language around non scale victories is confusing.
Although it takes the focus off the scale, if you’re measuring your body or judging the effectiveness of your workouts by how your clothes are fitting, then you’re still operating under this paradigm that the main objective of working out is to change your body.
It’s unfortunate that diet culture has co-opted exercise in this way. Because exercise was never intended for weight loss. Body changes, IF they happen when we exercise, are a secondary side effect of improving your FITNESS.
The point of exercise is to improve our FITNESS – becoming stronger, having better heart and lung function, more flexibility and less pain.
In other words, to improve our physical health by using exercise to support the good functioning of our body is what exercise is for.
Non Scale Victories are the REAL Victories!
Real life wins, like improved fitness and better health are what we should be focused on and celebrating. If changes happen on the scale, that is secondary to improved fitness, but really should not be the focus or the thing we celebrate because
1. It’s not helpful. It motivates you to move for the wrong reasons and will result in you falling of the wagon
and
2. What may or may not happen on the scale has ZERO bearing on your actual fitness.
You can’t measure fitness on the scale, or by how your clothes fit. A change in weight does not indicate a change in athletic ability. Fitness is measured through fitness assessments, and you get fitter by training, by consistently practicing specific types of movements that target the area of fitness you’re working on.
For example:
- If you want to be able to carry the kids up the stairs without getting winded – you might do weight lifting and cardio.
- If you want to be able to touch your toes, you might do yoga.
- If you want to have less knee pain – you’d work on strength training and mobility
The point of fitness is to become FITTER and we should be assessing, measuring and celebrating FITNESS changes as a result of our movement efforts, not body changes.
We shouldn’t have to dig to find these wins only when the scale isn’t changing.
Weight Neutral Fitness for the Win
This is why I take a weight neutral approach in my coaching practice.
I encourage my clients to focus on real life measurable outcomes that they want to see and can work towards in tangible concrete ways so they get real results that motivate them.
Here’s the 5 step process I have them go through when setting their fitness goals and you can use this yourself to change your focus so that what you might have called “non scale victories, or secondary victories in the past, become the primary victory.
1. Set Real Life Goals
Think of something in your life that isn’t easy or that you can’t currently do that you’d like to be able to do.
- being able to carry the kids up the stairs to bed without getting winded or to touch your toes, or to get up and down off the floor easier.
- to be able to go hiking without worrying about your balance or being able to keep up with your friends.
- Take up biking or ride further.
- Improve a health metric: Reduce pain, blood pressure or blood sugar
In other words, choose a tangible FITNESS or health objective that you would like to improve in,
If you struggle to detach weight from the goal, ask yourself what you are hoping will improve once you lose weight. THOSE are your fitness goals. Set the weight part aside and set those as your measurable outcomes.
2. Rate your fitness in this area right now.
- On a scale of 1-10 how winded are you when you climb the stairs?
- When you bend over what can you reach – your shins, ankles, top of feet, toes, the floor? Where do you feel tight in your body when you do it?
- What’s your pain level now? What’s your blood pressure now?
Write down your baseline metrics or fitness in the area you’re most concerned about.
3. Choose exercises or ways to move that will specifically target your fitness goals.
If you want to reduce pain in your knees – high impact cardio or running may not be the best choice. You’re going to want to try strength training and mobility exercises for the legs.
If lowering your blood pressure is the goal, moderate intensity cardio exercise is the best choice – walking 20 min a day is super.
4. Make it motivating
Make sure that whatever you choose is enjoyable for you, feels good in your body, and if possible surround yourself with a community – people with similar goals and mindsets who will cheer you on and support you. Those 3 things will go a long way to keeping you motivated to continue and see your goals through.
5. Reassess
In 2-3 months time after you’ve been consistently working towards improving your fitness, take time to reassess.
Use the same method you used to test your fitness in step 2 after a few months of consistent movement.
And don’t forget to take note of any other surprise benefits that are happening like improved energy and sleep!
Want to Dig Deeper? Listen to this Podcast Episode about Non Scale Victories
On episode 89 of The Power in Motion Podcast we talked all about the problems with non-scale victories. Listen here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-power-in-motion-podcast/id1537948979If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to The Power in Motion Podcast on Apple or Spotify..
Conclusion
I guarantee that if you focus on FITNESS – on feeling better and moving better, and you take consistent action towards that – you will see improvements.
You will see and feel those real, tangible victories. And if you’re doing things you like, that feel good, in a community where you reel like you fit in -you’ll have the motivation to keep going.
You won’t even care what happens on the scale because you’ll love how you feel.
That’s the secret to consistency, friend!
Do you still have questions?
Go ahead and reach out! You can contact me here or find me on social media , where I’m always happy to answer any questions.
If you’re looking for support to get started improving your fitness in a weight neutral way, I’m here for you. As a size inclusive fitness specialist and certified personal trainer, I offer both movement and mindset coaching to help women create a kind and respectful relationship with their body so they can feel healthy, happy and confident while leaving food rules, torturous exercise and body dissatisfaction behind and confidently create their best life – right now.
Book a free consultation, to discuss how coaching can help you with your unique needs.
Radiant Vitality – Kim Hagle
Body Positive Personal Trainer for Women Over 40. Located in Goderich, ON and serving clients online throughout North America
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