Hey, I’m doing a talk on Ayurveda tomorrow night | 6:30 | Sports Basement (Potrero Hill) | between 15 & 16th @ Bryant. If you are curious, please join us for an introduction to this ancient Indian healing science.

Today I got an email from a dear friend of mine saying that she has been working out lately, but that when she weighed herself, she actually gained weight. She was a bit upset and said that she will just ‘press on.’ Those damn scales. I’ve seen a lot of this and it can really take a toll on our self esteem especially when we are trying to be mindful and healthy about our bodies. But do the pounds really matter?

I believe it is far more important to know our own bodies, nourish them, exercise them, and practice mindful eating. I don’t own a scale and haven’t since I left for college because I have always weighed more than people my height/size. So big deal. I was an athlete! I didn’t need numbers on a little dialey thing to freak me out and make it seem that I was unhealthy. Wrong-o.

And it’s not only women either. A male friend of mine came to me at one point when he thought he was too skinny. He was considering taking supplements and I talked him out of it – at least I hope I did! Thing is, let’s work with what we’re given and do the best we can for ourselves. Unless there is a serious medical issue, leave the bmi formula, charts and scales behind. Let’s go with what FEELS right in our own skin.

When you really ask yourself, you KNOW when you don’t feel right (whether too heavy or too light), so just listen to that inner voice and make the changes accordingly.

Below is what I wrote to my friend. If you have comments, I welcome them. This is an important topic and I have been asked MANY times about the ol’ scale, so please share your thoughts if you have them.

Ok honey, gym stuff. Women fluctuate about 5 lbs. per month. So, take that into consideration. Another thing is that if you are gaining muscle, we do that before we lose the fat…and muscle is heavier. Hence, weight gain.

When I did bootcamp, the ladies would train for 4 weeks and then got weighed in for evaluations afterwards. Many would weigh more – there were sometimes tears actually. But once they got their measurements and did the body fat stuff, they turned out to be smaller, just more dense. It usually took until the 2nd bootcamp that they saw weight loss.

PRESS on. Don’t quit. It will probably take 6-8 weeks of working out before you see movement on the scale because you are building muscle.

The other thing is, if you work out too hard, your body will be extra hungry. People who train for marathons and triathalons can actually gain weight because they eat so much to fuel their bodies. So, note that and make sure when you exercise, you are at a comfortable and happy level.

So, keep going!! There are many reasons why you gained weight – or maybe that sassy scale is off. Overall though, pay attention to how you FEEL, how your clothes fit, if you’re sleeping well, if you can concentrate better, if you are less stressed, etc., Exercise has many health benefits besides losing weight and sadly we tend to overlook that in this country.

Another cool thing about Sports Basement is that they have a speaker series where you can go listen to people lecture on various topics dealing with athletic, outdoorsy and healthy schtuff – for free!

Aaaand, they have invited me to be a part of the series! So I (Monica) will be doing a lecture on Thursday June 12th 6:30 pm @ Sports Basement (Bryant St) on the topic of Ayurveda. I would love to see a packed house so that I can share this knowledge with a LOT of people. So please, bring all of your friends. Here is the blurb about my lecture:

Monica Bloom, owner of Feet on the Fly and an Ayurvedic student, will teach you the philosophies of Ayurveda and how to balance your mind, body, and soul for optimum health. Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old Indian holistic healing science meaning, “The Knowledge of Life.” It teaches us how to stay disease-free simply by knowing what energies (doshas) govern our unique bodies and how to remain in flux with nature. Through this self knowledge we are able to take responsibility for our own health, mental well being, and spiritual growth. Monica is excited to give you the gift of self knowledge so you can start applying this fascinating ancient science to your own life.