A scale is a tool and as part of a health journey, it is something that you can use, but you don’t have to use. One of the things that often gets mixed up today is that we so much emphasis on the number on the scale.

Even if the scale measures 25 other aspects of your health, those still don’t tell the whole story.

The scale gives you some information about your health, but it does not define your health.

Get Yearly Bloodwork

The first alternative to the scale is yearly bloodwork. This is something that a lot of people avoid but it’s important to do once a year. If it’s not something you do regularly, check with your doctor to see what they say. Chances are they can order it for you.

Bloodwork can tell you hundreds of numbers. If it’s your first time it will give you a good baseline set of numbers about your body. You get an idea of where cholesterol falls, how your sugar levels are, what your liver numbers are, your vitamin D levels, Vitamin K levels, how your thyroid is performing, etc.

This gives you other areas of health to focus on, outside of the scale.

How Do Your Clothes Fit?

A simple measurement for your health is ‘how do your clothes fit?’ How your clothes fit is a great way to measure your progress because while certain things may shrink, your whole wardrobe won’t shrink or expand overnight.

What Are Your Energy Levels?

Finally, pay attention to how you feel mentally.

• Are you exhausted?
• Are you full of anxiety?
• Do you have a lot of brain fog?
• Are you struggling to think straight?
• How is your digestive system?

Those five questions can tell you a lot about the status of your health. Even if stress levels are high, stress is a piece of your health.

This week, remember to take a step back and focus on your health as a whole, not just the number on the scale.