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"Just because improvements aren't visible... "
- Derek Arsenault (CSEP-CPT, PN1)
- Sep 22
- 5 min read
This post is courtesty of James Clear's quote (author of "Atomic Habits"). 👆 It's also a NECESSARY and NEEDED conversation to have if we want to change the direction of modern human health and lifestyle in general.
We NEED to RE-LEARN how to look at MORE than aesthetics in health.
Simply put, this has brought us to a place that, for so many, has created false assumptions, beliefs, confusion and most certainly STRUGGLE! Not because it's not possible, but because we (humans) run deeper than that!
-We compare ourselves to others despite EVERY BODY being different.
-We (still) assume that if it worked for "so and so" then it "must/will work for me".
-We ommit our "wants" and "don't wants" when we embark on our health practices and change.
-We constantly use the mirror and/or scale as the biggest player in "deciding" whether or not "things are working".
And yet...
LOOKS DOES NOT automatically mean HEALTH.
We are WAY more than just "the outside". We are so complex. I've personally worked with people of all ages and sizes, who are equally fit OR equally unhealthy regardless of size/weight/appearance. Some of my thinnest clients in the past have had the most damaging health and lifestyle habits. Likewise, some of my larger bodied clients have had some of the best mindsets and consistent health habits.
Dr Peter Attia eludes to this approach in his book, "Outlive" when he says;
"... But not everyone who is obese is metabolically unhealthy and not everyone who is metabolically unhealthy is obese. "
Metabolic Syndrome looks at these five criteria:
❤🩹High Blood Pressure
❤🩹High Triglycerides
❤🩹Low HDL cholesterol
❤🩹Central adiposity (i.e. waist circumference)
❤🩹Elevated fasting glucose
According to Dr Attia, if you have 3 or more of these criteria, then you have metabolic syndrome.
Without going too far into THIS conversation (though it's fantastic and fascinating), the important thing to recognize here is that "obesity" is ONE piece to this puzzle. Yet in our "image and aesthetics first" world that we live in it's "everything". But that's NOT reality as discussed in Dr Attia's book early on.
You are quite possibly MISSING the GOOD you ARE doing
I know in working with clients over the many years in doing what I do, it's SAD and UNFORTUNATE to see people down on themselves, because of a number on the scale OR because the way their body changed isn't maybe what they invisioned. YET so much GOOD IS happening for them!!
I use the example often of a women's weight loss group that I somewhat "took over heading up" and slowly shifted into reframing it as a health and lifestyle group a few years ago. For decades this group would weigh in weekly and celebrate the "biggest loser" at the end of the month.
Here's a scenario for you:
👉 Person A works hard over the 4-week period, focusing on her nutrition and exercise and loses 8lbs.
👉 Person B works equally as hard over the month, doing the same sort of thing and loses 4lbs.
👉 Person A "WINS the Biggest Loser" of the month recognition. Everyone is celebrating the loss on the scale.
👉 Person B gets discouraged. "Clearly" she's a failure because she did everything she could but didn't lose what Person A did doing similar things!
(*Remember - this is a hypothetical, yet VERY REALISTIC scenario)
Because the mindset is to "lower the number on the scale to succeed", anything/everything else is overlooked WAY more often than not. In this example, BOTH people did FANTASTIC things for their health! However, our North American fetish with the number on the scale does NOT allow THOSE things to be the centre of attention. For WAY TOO LONG we've put our outward appearance as our "indicator" of "health", and if that WORKED, the statistics would look much differently today.
The things you can't SEE
As James Clear mentions in his quote at the start of this post, just because you can't SEE change, doesn't mean it's NOT happening! With that, here is an infographic from Precision Nutrition that illustrates this perfectly and shares examples of things we can look for as signs that positive change IS happening...
Do you notice what EVERY ONE of these has in common?? They are on-going and consistent reminders, for YOU, from the inside out. Please know, I'm not saying trying to improve your appearance and body is "bad". What I'm saying is, we're approaching it in a way where (as usual) we're skipping the foundational things that will actually not only CREATE the change we want, but that will make it that much more SUSTAINABLE as well.
Every single day, at any given moment, these examples of how we can tell that what we're doing is creating positive change for ourselves, is present and reminding us CONSTANTLY based on how we feel!! If/when we change our aesthetics and put all of our focus in that and only that, you know when we are given that euphoric boost?? When someone ELSE says something. That could be once a day, once in your week... or longer. Sure it's nice when it happens, but wouldn't feeling that feeling almost CONSTANTLY, for yourself (rather than waiting for someone else to say something) feel THAT MUCH BETTER?!?!?
When HOW YOU LOOK on the outside, is your sole goal in your health, you will forever be UNHAPPY because along the way you learn to find more and more "WRONG" with how you look in the mirror, DESPITE all the AMAZING things you ARE doing for your health and wellbeing. Because the mirror and/or scale DOES NOT tell the whole picture. Again, reminding ourselves that just because we can't SEE something, doesn't mean something GOOD isn't happening.
Maybe you've hired a coach and you haven't lost any weight this month.... BUT you've consistently done more activity than you have in the past couple years!
Maybe you've not seen the scale nudge down... YET you've completely overhauled your plate in the last 6-8 weeks so that you now have AT LEAST 5 servings of veggies each day.
Maybe you've not seen your body lean up, but your doctor has cut your blood pressure meds down considerably
Maybe you can't walk as far as you want to just yet, but you're sleeping so much better since you've been training your body to walk further.
... We could go on forever here, but I feel like if you're still with me you're getting it (or at least thinking about this).
Once again, this comes back to my FIRM BELIEF that we (our society) are where we are, not for "lack of effort", but for reasons of the MIND first and foremost. We ignore HOW we THINK about and APPROACH our health practices more than EVER BEFORE, because we have so much information out there and so many means to compare ourselves. Begin from the INSIDE-OUT and you'll find not only more positive changes happening, but also LESS stress attached to those changes in your health and lifestyle.
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