Him body weight It fluctuates for normal physiological reasons. Hydration, menstrual cycledigestion or fluid retention. Focusing exercise progress on a single piece of information can lead to frustration for beginners. The conventional scale cannot tell the whole story behind the scenes. It says nothing about the muscle strengthening silently or the heart beating more calmly. Visible physical changes may take time to manifest while you experience health benefits, such as improvements in metabolism and even mood.
Some studies refer to this. A Analysis 2021 argues that a weight-focused approach to treating and preventing obesity has been largely ineffective. Other research published in the magazine American Diabetes Association they found that exercise improves insulin sensitivity, although the scale doesn’t show much change. José Ramón Pallás, coordinator of the Health and Sports Group of Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC)explains to EL PAÍS that, in general, the most evident thing is the progress of sports practice.
“For example, if you can run faster or lift more weights. On a physical and metabolic level, we try to decrease the resting heart rate. A trained heart must beat fewer times per minute,” he explains. Training, he says, must be progressive and constant. There is no need for extreme diets or obsession with the scale, rather long-term and simultaneous goals, habits that can be maintained over time.
This electronic weight-determining device does not distinguish between muscle mass, fat, water, or bone density. Clinging to just one number can lead to ignoring much more valuable signals of what is happening in the body for the better. “The negative consequences of weight reduction and extreme dieting include loss of muscle mass, nutritional deficiencies and an increased risk of injury,” adds the WTO specialist.
What cannot be seen with the naked eye
The body mass index (BMI), that is the international classification of obesity on which the World Health Organization is based, dates back to 1839 and was created by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet. While it may be a useful tool for the general population, it leaves aside the immense body diversity that exists and does not take into account factors such as gender or age.
But in addition to BMI there are other more complete and personalized indicators. These criteria, according to Pallás, are divided into two large areas:
- Functional: Increased speed and strength with less perceived effort. Being able to run faster or lift more weight than before.
- Physical and metabolic: increased muscle mass, decreased resting heart rate, improved insulin sensitivity, normalization of lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides) and regulation of blood pressure.
“Changes can be measured through clinical tests and medical checks. They are profound improvements that protect long-term health, even if they are not always reflected in the mirror,” he insists, like bone densitometry, a low-dose X-ray test that measures bone density and body composition.
There are also other subtle signals that should not be ignored, such as emotional state. María Cabrera Bolufer, health and sports psychologisttells EL PAÍS that when the athlete begins to feel more connected to what he does, a feeling of satisfaction appears. “We feel motivated, confident in the process and with the desire to continue to improve,” he says.
Emotions, according to this expert, are the lens with which we interpret what happens. When we feel good, we are “more flexible, we value small progress and we recognize the effort”. On the other hand, when we are in a low mood we tend to see less, demand more and belittle what we have achieved. “Taking care of emotional stability is essential to objectively evaluate progress,” he adds.
The body speaks
Exercise goes beyond physical appearance, it reduces medications in cases such as hypertension and can progressively transform the lives of those who adopt it. In the long term, practicing sport improves mood by releasing endorphins, reduces stress and anxiety, fights tiredness and improves the quality of sleep. “It’s what we call it multipillbecause it can help in cases of anxiety and stress. Sports medicine specialists are trained to prescribe physical exercise,” says José Ramón Pallás.
And while training becomes a routine, nutrition should not be neglected. “Your body speaks, and many times it does so with signals that we ignore. It is not a question of lack of willpower, the feeling of tiredness or low energy level is usually a warning that you need more rest or nutrients,” says the nutritionist. Azahara Nietoauthor of Guilt makes you fat.
Among the most common signs that the body needs attention, Nieto cites constant tiredness (even after sleeping), low energy during physical activity, mood changes or difficulty concentrating. Other obvious signs include slow recovery after exercise or persistent muscle soreness, cravings (especially for sugar), and a weakened immune system.
When you adopt a weight-centric vision, exercise becomes an obligation. Eating becomes rigid, with guilt and fear of eating. Even social life, according to this nutritionist, is conditioned by diet and a bodily disconnection occurs when signals of hunger, tiredness or pleasure are ignored. “If the athlete trains with a clear purpose, the performance stops depending on the immediate result,” adds psychologist María Cabrera Bolufer.
For Nieto, well-being is measured “by how you feel and how your body works”, not by a number on the scale. “Assessing energy, strength, mobility, clinical parameters and the relationship with food and the body offers a much more complete and healthy picture,” he concludes.
