10 Tips To Track Your Fitness Progress

Whether your intention is to lose weight, gain strength or just feel healthier, here are 10 ways you can start keeping a measure of positive changes.

1. Performance Goals – these goals can include any kind of fitness skill you would like to achieve i.e lifting a specific weight, performing your first push up or getting up + down from the floor with no hands! Performance goals encourage a positive relationship with exercise + working towards a higher level of competency which can really help with motivation.

2. Progress photos – weight loss + muscle gain tend to fluctuate + the scales tend not to give a true picture of small changes. Progress photos can serve as a visual confirmation that you are on track.

3. Waist Circumference – the most important measure of health, as fat deposits around the belly can correlate with heart disease + type 2 diabetes. Take your measurement just above the bony part of the hips + in the same place each time! You can find various charts on the internet that calculates your ideal.

4. Meal Plan – yes planning planning planning!! Planning your meals + snacks ahead of time ensures healthier choices + can help towards weight management. 

5. The fit of your clothes – take note of how your clothes feel. If fat loss is your end goal, muscle takes up less space than fat, so you may feel your clothes are becoming a little looser.

6. Keep a journal – write down, how many times did you workout? What weights did you use? How did you sleep? And just as importantly, how did it make you feel? Journaling your physical + emotional progress can show how far you have come.

7. Get your blood pressure checked – your blood pressure is largely affected by your nutrition, exercise + stress levels + gives a pretty good picture of your overall health.

8. Test your Strength – set a little fitness test you can repeat every few weeks to track your progress. It can be a simple test such as - How long can you hold a plank? How many burpees can you do in a minute? How many squats can you do in a minute?

9. Resting heart rate – a fitness tracker that monitors heart rate is useful to track your resting heart rate. A lower resting heart rate usually indicates that your heart is functioning efficiently. As you train, you may notice your resting heart rate starts to decrease.

10. The Scales – of course the obviously place for weight loss is the scales, but don’t get caught up on these! Yes, they can give an indication you are heading in the right direction, but tracking all of the above will automatically take you towards your end goal + a healthier happier you! 

If you have any questions regarding any of the suggestions above then please get in touch + I would be happy to help!!