Finding More Ways to Measure Up

Something occurred to me the other day. In my career as a market researcher, I am fond of telling my clients that they should never put all of their measurement eggs in one basket, so to speak. In other words, don't determine the extent of your success by only looking at one measurement.

Let me explain. Let's say Company A bases their success solely on product sales. One day, their sales grow dramatically and they conclude that their advertising is working great and they are stealing market share from their competitors.

Now, think of their key competitor - Company B. They had an unanticipated production problem which caused them to experience out of stock conditions across the country. Consumers got to the store and found an empty spot on the shelf. Because they really needed the product, they bought Company A's product ... merely as a short-term substitute.

Company B fixes their problem and, lo and behold, product sales for Company A go back to what they were before.

Are you with me so far?

As you can see, drawing a conclusion based on one single piece of data can be very dangerous. That's why reporters and lawyers always look for secondary sources to validate what they are saying.

So, why do we always hop on a scale, look at the number, and make a snap decision about how "thin" we are. We get discouraged that we're not moving the needle and before you know it, we've given up entirely.

Go ahead and weigh yourself but also measure yourself in other ways:

- Measure your waist, thighs, and bust
- Count how many sit ups you do and try improve your number
- Count how many days you can go without soda, carbs, or sweets
- Judge the fit of your clothes, striving for a more comfortable fit
- Count how many steps you can walk up before getting winded

Any good researcher will tell you that doing a PRE and a POST measurement is the best way to track movement. So, select a handful of measures (some that are uniquely your own) and write them down in a notebook. Make notes at least once a week and then do a little Irish jig when you start to see your numbers improve.

The greater the number of standards of measurement you have, the greater the possibility that you will find little successes in your life that continue to motivate you to be the healthiest you possible.

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Stop the Negative Self-Talk...Now!

It seems like everywhere you're turning these days, someone is talking about losing weight. And once you get a bit older, all we talk about is how we're NOT losing weight.

In order to lose weight, we all need to start at the same place ... with our attitude. Too often, we berate ourselves for our weight.

We look in the mirror as we get ready for our day and say, "I''m fat."
We grab the tire around our waist and squeeze it, thinking "I'm fat."
We try a new shirt on at the store and think, "I look terrible."

All that negative talk adds up to a big fat ball of negative influence in our lives. What would we do if our spouse or friend or even doctor talked to us like that? We likely would think they were out of place. We might start to like them less. Ultimately, we may decide we don't even want them in our life anymore. So, why is it okay to talk to ourselves that way?

Starting this moment, try to be kinder to yourself. Understand that "fat" does not have to be how you define yourself.

"A strong positive mental attitude will create
more miracles than any wonder drug."
Patricia Neal