Look Who's Talking: Measures of Success

In our first edition of Look Who's Talking, a new series in which I ask a smattering of bloggers the same question, we focused on exercise. This time out, we're talking about success and how we measure it.

Question: Many of us are conditioned to measure success in scale numbers or tape measure results, which is fine, but I've learned (after quite a few misfires) that there are many other measures of success. How do you measure your personal success with respect to health and fitness?

Let's see what our stellar (and I do mean stellar) group of panelists have to say, and then the rest of us can chime in.

Jody, from Truth to Being Fit is wild about fitness and (much to my delight) frequently shares from her vast store of exercise knowledge. Asked how she measures her success, Jody said:

This is a somewhat complicated question for me. Although I do weigh myself every day & try to stay at a certain weight within say 3 pounds AND I do prefer to fit into a certain size of clothes, I think my biggest measure of success is what I see in the mirror AND what I am able to accomplish in terms of goals for myself in the gym which is where I do most of my workouts. Both are important & without my clothes fitting test, I don't know if I would be sure about the scale. Being pretty muscular, the scale is not as good measure for me compared to how my clothes fit. Are they getting too tight to zip for too many days & are they so tight that is is uncomfortable .. I need to address that asap. I have a pair of jeans that I check this too!

In terms of the mirror, I do tend to be pretty hard on myself so I try to see a fit 52 year old that has done the best I can each day. This tags on to my accomplishments in the gym & with my workouts. I have goals each time I work out & as long as I put my all into it, it is a win for me. The fact that I push myself like a person that is 25 years my junior, that I can keep up with my grandkids, that I don't let age be a factor.. to me, that is a success in my book.

Yes, I like the scale to say a certain thing & yes, I use a pair of jeans to make sure I stay within a certain size BUT my biggest measure of success is how much I can do for my age, how I challenge myself to be better & that I just keep trying to improve and stay fit & healthy no matter what my age is or will be. I want to be that 75 year old that is still pounding the weights! If I stay fit, take care of myself, eat healthy.. hopefully that leads to a healthy & full life as I get older. There is no reason why we can't keep doing as long as possible! Healthy body, healthy mind. That is the goal!

Karen, from Waisting Time, has only been blogging for a couple of months, but I (for one) am very glad she started. Like many of us, Karen is a reformed yo-yo dieter and is well on her way to a healthy, fit life--for good! When I asked how she measures success, Karen replied:

When I am doing things right I feel physically and emotionally better, physically and emotionally stronger. I have more energy. I like myself more. I'm happier.

Beyond that are the NSVs, non-scale victories, that I learned to focus on from the fabulous gals on 3fatchicks. It might be as obvious as fitting into pants that used to be too small. But I also try to focus on the little things that let me know I am making progress. Like: eating more vegetables; planning several days worth of meals; having a horribly frustrating computer problem and realizing that it did not drive me to eat. And then there are the exercise advances, for example, this week I added short jogging intervals on the treadmill and only got sore quads from it the first time:)

These little achievements help me stay motivated and give me a sense of accomplishment and progress. Especially when the scale is stuck (or moving in the wrong direction).

Lori, from Finding Radiance,is an amazing success story, having gone from 250 pounds to running a triathlon last year! Now committed to a lifestyle that includes healthy foods and regular exercise, Lori responded to the question with this:

There are a lot of ways that I measure personal success. The scale used to be important to me,particularly when I was first starting to lose, which is normal. What I began to realize, though, was that the scale did not tell the whole truth. When I began strength training, the scale burbled up a little, but tape measurements went down. That helped keep me positive that changes were still happening. It's just way too easy to get focused on a number on the scale and base one's self worth on that.

I also measure success based on what I do. Last year was a year of fitness for me. I did several 5K races, a sprint triathlon, and a duathlon, plus I complete the New Rules of Lifting for Women book. It doesn't matter what place I came in for those races, either. Just doing them was a success. Looking back to photos of me at 250 pounds, it's almost hard to believe I used to be that person. Every finish line I cross, every mile I bike, and every barbell squat I do emphasize that success is not defined by what I weigh or how old I am. These things make me feel very powerful and confident. It also makes me strive to do more. Being more healthy and fit in my 40s than I was in my 20s is success to me!

Lynn Haraldson-Bering blogs at Lynn's Weigh - The Journey Continues, where she inspires us all with tales of life at maintenance. After losing an astounding 170 pounds, Lynn has kept it off for three years! (I sure hope I'm still here and in maintenance at the three year mark!) Curious about how Lynn measures success? Read on:

I’m continually fascinated by what my body is able to do. I remember the first time I went walking for exercise. It was April 2006. I’d already lost 120 pounds, but I could barely do four laps around the track. Still, every week I added a lap and increased my speed. Within six few months I was walking a 5K in 38 minutes. Then in 2007, my husband wanted to buy me a bike when I reached goal. I was like, Me? Biking? But I started out with 8 miles, then 10, and now I can do 20. And I love it! Last fall I took on hiking, and this winter went on a few hikes in the snow. Again, I looked at my body and thought, Damn, Skippy…you really can rock the fitness! I hope this doesn’t sound too vain, but when I’m by myself I flex my muscles in the mirror. That I have definition and contoured arms still amazes me. I feel like a little kid on Christmas when I strength train! LOL

Hmmm, anyone noticing a pattern here? :) Four impressive women, each with a different approach to weight loss and/or maintenance, but one common thread: the scale doesn't tell the whole story! There are many more indicators of your (our) success!

*applause, applause* Thank you, Jody, Karen, Lori, and Lynn, for sharing your successes (and why wouldn't you? They're astounding!) and inspiring us with your stories! I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels a huge debt of gratitude to you!

And now for the rest of us--how do YOU measure your success?

My answer: I didn't even know my weight for the first four months into this thing. I focused entirely on eating better foods than I had been and increasing my endurance with exercise. By doing that, I learned to use many of the same measures described above: the fit of my clothes and how energetic I feel, how many miles or minutes I walk or ride, how many reps and at what weights, how many splurges I've had (that should probably be "how few splurges" *g*), etc. After a while I did begin to weigh myself regularly, but by then I already had built a habit of tracking multiple successes, so that when one doesn't "measure up", something else will!

Thanks again to our lovely panelists...and thank you ALL for playing along!

Look Who's Talking: Exercise

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

You know, even after two years of rambling around the weight loss/maintenance and fitness blogosphere, I'm constantly discovering new, or new-to-me, bloggers. Just when I think I've been everywhere, I spot a comment from or a link to a blog I haven't seen before! Each has its own distinct flavor or flair, and I'm always learning something new--I love it!

It occurred to me last week that to the the folks just starting their quest for better health and fitness, the breadth and depth of our little corner of the internet might seem a bit daunting. How do we find our tribe-within-the-tribe, those bloggers who are on a similar course to our own? Which people farther down this path will inspire us and motivate us to keep on going? Who might feed us with lots of delicious, healthy recipes? Or keep us up to date with all the latest health and fitness happenings? Who makes us laugh and feel a little less like we're on this road alone?  The possibilities are so far-reaching that it can boggle the mind.

Enter: the Tippy Toe Shortcut. This is the first post of a new series I'm calling "Look Who's Talking." For each post, I'll ask a cross section of bloggers the same question and report their responses here. Then the rest of us have our turn to share!  Given the diversity of blogs and bloggers out there, the results should be verr-r-r-y interesting! I think so, anyway.

HUGEHUGE thanks to this awesome group of bloggers, who so graciously agreed to go first. I asked them:

What is your favorite exercise or form of exercise? And your least favorite?

Lynn, who blogs at Actual Scale, will someday join those of us in the 100-pounds lost club. She's already halfway there! Lynn says:

I think my favorite types of exercise are the ones that do not feel like exercise. For instance, I absolutely love my weighted hula hoop, boxing with the Wii, doing a kid's yoga dvd with my 6 year old and my belly dancing dvd. They may not be hard core workouts, but they are the ones I look forward to doing. They are the ones I will never skip because, "I don't feel like it"...which is what happens with my cardio sometimes.

Least favorite exercise? Hands down it is cardio. Give me weights any day intead of spending 30-60 minutes sweating my butt off, jumping, bending, jogging, kicking, etc...I would rather do a gazillion squats than walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes. I don't mind the recumbent bike, and actually like walking (but only outside & I live in a 4 Season area) but I dread doing them. For some reason I have convinced myself that it is easier to work in 20 minutes of strength versus 20 minutes of cardio. Yep, I'm mental that way.

Thank you, Lynn! We're all mental about something! :) Mine is running. And thank you for continuing to inspire me to master the hula hoop. Someday...

Rebeca at All Vegged Out is a blogger with irons in many fires. Fortunately for us, one of those fires is sharing awesome (and awesomely nutritious!) recipes and meal ideas. Rebeca's favorite form of exercise is yoga, about which she said:

I know that there are a lot of people who shy away from yoga because they claim that they are not flexible but I would have claimed the same thing a few years ago.  I love how it stretches my body and really opens me up.  While I don't subscribe to some of spiritual aspects of yoga there is no denying that its practice makes you more in tune with your body.  For me, this deep connection that I feel afterward gives me such a sense of calm and centers me in a way that nothing else ever has.  I also think that it makes you a lot stronger than you realize as you go deeper into your practice you find all sorts of defined muscles just from your own body resistance that leads to toning.

Least Favorite: Strength Training with Dumbbells. I'll admit that I'm a little lazy at times.  Which makes the dumbbells and I a lethal combination.  Instead of grabbing a heavy set, I'll grab the smallest ones and then fake my way through the reps. Then I end up bored and quit a couple of minutes in.  I really like machines though and like to compete with myself on them, but if I'm alone at home with the dumbbells then they're probably gaining dust while I gain weight!

Thanks, Rebeca! I'm s-l-o-w-l-y building a yoga practice, and it does work the muscles in a different--yet wonderful--way.

Andrew of the aptly-titled blog, Andrew is getting fit has moved from the world of morbid obesity to one that includes multiple marathons. His passion for running is evident in each of his posts, so I knew that was his favorite. I just didn't know why. Here's what Andrew said:

I find running gives me some "me" time where I can ponder the mysteries of the universe, listen to my favourite podcasts or just zone out.  It's also quite helpful with the weightloss efforts!

Least favorite? This is tricky as there is not one I particularly despise as such.  Although if I think about the gym I always avoid the stepper as it just seems a bit too much like hard work!

Thank you, Andrew! I've been following you for some time now, and your commitment to and enjoyment of your program inspire me every day. Plus, I've learned a lot about New Zealand. :)

Sahar blogs at FatFighterTV, and her blog is packed with health news, recipe makeovers, videos, and inspiring stories. I have Sahar to thank for the snazzy Weight Loss Woo-hoo button in my sidebar. About exercise, Sahar has THREE favorites:

Pilates, hiking, and group classes. I love Pilates because of the great strengthening and toning effects it has on my core. I adore hiking in the mountains because I get a such a great workout while I am enjoying all the beauty in nature. And I often get hooked on aerobics classes because the music makes it so fun that I forget I am exercising.

My  least favorite is cardio on the treadmill - I get very bored and feel like I am spinning when I get off the treadmill!

Thank you, Sahar! I'm an outdoor-exerciser , too! I keep saying I'm going to join a local hiking group, but so far no doing. That needs to change--NOW.

Tiff has been blogging at Project 365 for a little over a month now. Her spirit and enthusiasm shine in her posts and are a definite bright spot in my day!  About exercise, Tiff said:

I really enjoy walking at this point. It's low impact and can be done almost anywhere- on my lunch break, at a park, even indoors (thx to the lovely Leslie Sansone!). It's also great because you can go with a friend and chat which helps the time to go by faster; it's an exercise that almost anyone can do!

Least favorite? PILATES...my body was SO not made to do any of those things! :)

Thanks, Tiff! I share your enthusiasm for walking, but I still haven't tried the Leslie Sansone DVDs. (I must fix that.)

And that's what this group of bloggers had to say about exercise! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about what makes them tick, and I appreciated the reminders of things I want to do, or re-do, in some cases.

As for me, my favorite form of exercise is anything that gets me outdoors. Whether it's walking or riding my bike, there's something about being outside in the fresh air that gets me going--physically and mentally! (I do love the afterglow of a good strength training session, though.)  My least favorite exercise is the pull-up, because it demoralizes me. :)

And now it's YOUR turn. Favorite? Least favorite? We wanna know!

Thanks again to Andrew, Lynn, Rebeca, Sahar, and Tiff for your time and graciousness in sharing your answers with us!

And to everyone else, be warned that I'll likely be coming to you someday with some other burning question! :)