While losing weight is often a primary goal in starting a fitness journey, there are many other markers you can watch for to measure your progress.
This 2025, instead of fixating on shedding some pounds alone, why not give yourself compassion for showing up for yourself? Begin by giving yourself grace just for the fact that you’re trying.
In the first month of the New Year, people tend to push themselves more to be healthier and be more physically active. While these are great in the long run, it’s important to be patient. As with other things in life, nothing comes easy. So committing to your goals and yourself becomes more important in making 2025 your best and your healthiest year yet.
In this article, fitness coaches and wellness teachers tell us what is better than losing weight?
Celebrating non-scale victories
Beyond losing weight, Gabby Dario, a Saddle Row indoor rowing and cycling instructor, non-scale victories is among the many meaningful reasons to commit to a fitness routine.
“Fitness is a holistic journey, and celebrating non-scale victories like better sleep, increased energy, or lifting heavier weights can be just as rewarding, if not more so,” she said.
Gabby, who is also the brand manager of Adidas Philippines, advised that tracking literally anything in your fitness journey is good because it will show you how far you have come.
“Whether it’s counting your daily steps, logging your workouts, or even jotting down how you feel after each session, having tangible data can make progress feel more real and motivating,” she said.
“There’s something incredibly satisfying about looking back and seeing how far you’ve come, whether lifting heavier weights, improving your endurance, or simply feeling better mentally,” she added.
While smartwatches and fitness apps are great tools to accompany your fitness journey, Gabby thinks they’re not necessary. A simple notebook or journal will do the trick.
“Progress, no matter how small, is still progress,” she reminds.
As for weight loss, Gabby said it’s “a valid goal, but it’s important to approach it sustainably, and, ideally, with professional guidance from a dietitian, nutritionist, or even an endocrinologist if there are underlying factors at play.”
Releasing “tension”
For Anna Manalastas, a certified yoga teacher for various styles, including Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Budokon, easing up and releasing tension in our body and mind are accomplishments not to be overlooked.
“It would be great if we could all lose the tension we put on ourselves and learn to ease up a lot more — on our expectations, on our personal and professional goals, and on our drive to consume and achieve more,” Anna said.
According to the yoga teacher, releasing tension allows “our body and mind to relax and recover, which will be much more beneficial to our long-term health and well-being.”
You may not realize it sooner, but practicing self-compassion and self-kindness are equally important to reaching your weekly workout goals.
“I believe letting go of the self-criticism or ‘tension I’ve created for myself’ will be a more sustainable and friendly approach to my health and fitness journey,” she said.
“The past years have taught me that change doesn’t need to be drastic or momentous for it to be meaningful,” Anna said.
One way to release the tension? By smiling. It’s a tip Anna gives her students, especially during arm balance classes, so they can release the tension or the “gigil” to reach a certain yoga pose.
Smiling while working out may feel forced in the beginning, but smiling actually “softens the tension in the body and mind and then we can recognize that it’s not the end of the world,” Anna said.
“You might even enjoy your journey much more when you can smile — to yourself, to your mistakes, to your wins, and to your path,” she added.
She looks to her teacher, the Vietnamese Thien Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, “who always said ‘a smile is a gift to yourself,’ which is so true,” Anna said.
“You can offer yourself a smile of kindness, especially when you’re struggling because, bottom line, you’re trying. And that’s a great start,” she added.
Building muscles
Other than losing weight, you might want to consider building muscles as well.
According to Dan Hilaria, an online strength and endurance coach for Spartan, many people nowadays are “under-muscled and lacking strength.”
Apart from muscles helping strengthen bones, building them can actually help you in losing weight.
“Building muscle increases metabolism, which helps you burn calories and fat,” Hilaria explained.
In a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis titled “The effect of exercise interventions on resting metabolic rate,” the study found that resistance training, such as weightlifting, is effective in terms of increasing “resting metabolic rate” compared to cardio workouts or cardio and resistance exercises combined.
Establishing daily habits
For Rain Bautista, a certified yoga teacher based in San Felipe, Zambales, establishing daily habits is one way to kickstart your fitness journey.
These habits could include choosing activities that promote mental health, setting healthy boundaries in both work and personal relationships, cultivating inner peace, and practicing self-awareness to become a better person.
According to Rain, losing weight is only one of the many things you can focus on in your wellness journey.
“We can be more aware of other things that are as important than losing weight, such as establishing daily habits,” she said.
Incorporating these habits into your daily routine can significantly contribute to your overall wellness.
Rain also reminds that your journey will always be different from others, the same way your progress will never be linear.
“If you accept that your journey is ridden like the waves of ‘Amihan’ and ‘Habagat,’ you’ll realize that all you need is to flow and discover how to love yourself entirely,” she said.
— LA, GMA Integrated News
