These Instragrammers Are Reminding Us Why It's Important to #ScrewTheScale
In a world where our social media feeds are chock-full of pictures flaunting weight loss, it's refreshing to see a new trend celebrating health, regardless of the number on the scale. Instagrammers all across the board are using the hashtag #ScrewTheScale to show that good health shouldn't be measured by numbers, but rather by a person's ability, endurance, and strength.
The empowering hashtag, which has been used over 25,000 times, shows photos of women who appear more fit and toned after gaining weight-highlighting an important misconception about weight loss and fitness.
While we are programmed to believe that gaining a few pounds is cause for concern, factors like water retention and muscle gain often come into play. When you start to change your body composition through your workouts, your weight may increase, while your body fat percentage may decrease, Jeffrey A. Dolgan, a clinical exercise physiologist previously told us.
"Sometimes I need to compare same weight pictures to remind myself that I've come a long way even though the scale might not say so," explained one fitness Instagrammer who used the hashtag. "I'm definitely not my leanest, but hey having abs every day just isn't realistic, but becoming stronger, building muscle, and becoming your best self is, so this is your reminder to keep going no matter where you're at in the journey."
A trend that emphasizes overall health and wellness over weight? That's something we can all get behind.
