How To Measure Your Progress

When it comes to health and fitness most people will use scales to track progress.  This, obviously, can be a good way to track to see that you are losing or gaining weight and making progress. What happens when that number on the scales doesn’t move in the right direction and stays still? Have you failed, is it time to change the nutrition plan? Start a new workout program?

No, if you changed every time the scales do not move you will be jumping from fad to fad, starting new nutrition plans new workout programs every other week. – does this sound like you?

Your body needs time to adapt, you didn’t become overweight over night, so why expect to lose the weight in a safe and healthy way in a few weeks? Also did you take into account muscle mass? Water%? Have you actually got a smaller waist but still weigh the same?

When starting on a health and fitness path I would always recommend having a starting point. Here are the protocols I get my clients to follow.

• Take photos (front, back, both sides, and poses you want- make it fun)
• Use a tape measure (waist, hips, Legs, arms, chest)
• Scales (use the scales in 2 week gaps, same time of day, same place, same set of scales)
• Write down how you feel (energy level and how you feel about your body right now)

Now when the scales are not moving look at these points again and you will find you still will be making progress. Either the measurements will have changed, your energy levels could be better, you may feel more confident- these are all steps forwards to the body you deserve.

So stop jumping from program to program and learn to track your progress better! And if you do find that you have stalled along the way (4-6 weeks) then yes adapt your current nutrition plan- move those macro nutrient ratios, Change your training program- I would always do 4-6 weeks of one program and change just to keep it interesting anyway.