Ah, January. A time when we feel the fresh optimism of a clean slate. A time when we daydream about the many possibilities of the coming year. And a time when a lot of us step on the scale after the holidays and think, “Uh oh, how’d that happen?”

But let’s be honest; even if we didn’t gain a few pounds from extra social gatherings and cookies in the break room, transforming our bodies often finds its way into our new year’s resolutions.

Why? Because more than any time of year, we get bombarded by ads for diets and fitness plans all with one major theme: losing weight.

It’s enough to make any girl (or guy) start questioning her own weight — and maybe even throw her scale out the window.

So if you’ve recently felt disappointed after stepping on the scale, I want to remind you that your weight is just one tiny sliver of all the pieces that make up your total “health pie.”

In fact, here’s a list I’ve put together of exactly what the scale can and canNOT tell you about yourself.

WHAT THE SCALE CAN TELL YOU:

• the gravitational force between you and planet Earth

WHAT THE SCALE CAN’T TELL YOU:

• your body fat percentage
• how much muscle you have
• how well your body is functioning
• how balanced your hormones are
• how many nutrients you’ve been eating
• how many nutrients your body is actually absorbing
• how many toxins are in your body
• how well your digestion & elimination are working
• the quality of your sleep
• how much energy you have throughout the day
• what your mood is like most of the time
• how healthy you really are
• how happy you feel

Whew, I’d say the scale doesn’t deserve as much power as we often give it. Would you agree?

So if the scale’s got you down, remember:

Your weight does not define you or your health.

Instead of focusing on numbers, turn your focus to actions — actions that will improve your health from the inside out.

You can keep the weight loss resolution if you must, but try breaking it down into “mini” resolutions each week or month. These can be around things like eating unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods for more of your weekly meals, going to bed earlier, working up a sweat, eating more vegetables, and de-stressing daily with meditation.

With each action you take, your weight will naturally move towards a healthy number it’s meant to be at. And I don’t know about you, but that sounds a whole lot more fun than stressing over the scale all year.

Now tell me in the comments below, what’s one mini resolution you’re going to make for this week?

To your evolution,

Hanna