Formosa Fitness

Sometimes we stare so hard at the trees, that we get disappointed with the forest.

For example, weight loss clients are usually initially delighted with the weight loss they see on the scales. But eventually the weight stabilizes and gains need to be looked for beyond numbers. If lean muscle mass is replacing fat, then fat is still declining even if the weight isn't changing. This is excellent news, but not for people used to seeing progress only in numbers. Quality must eventually replace quantity as a measure.

Another example happened yesterday. I did 17 pullups last week -- the most I've done in a very long time. Not bad for someone about to turn 39. Last month I also did 100 burpees, a personal goal for the first time. So I did the Cindy workout (5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 body weight squats in a circuit for 20:00) yesterday with high hopes. But I hadn't done it for two months prior.

I crashed at 12:00 with ten reps of the circuit. And my form wasn't very good. What the heck happened? When I did it last, I went a full 20:00 and managed 18 reps with good form.

If I only looked at this result, I would be very depressed. But in terms of my overall performance, I've reached a lot of highs recently. Staring at this particular tree from yesterday would make me depressed. But looking at the forest of overall health and performance, I'm feeling fairly happy.

So don't depress yourself if the numbers don't show what you want. Quality is not always quantifiable.