Tracking Fitness Progress Without the Fancy Equipment

Measuring success is a double-edged sword in exercise routines.  We all want results and we want them now!  However, we never want to see a slide in our progress. I am going to temper that by encouraging long-term thinking.  If you have ever yo-yoed with weight, either losing or gaining, then you know short-term changes do not stick.  With weight loss or gain, it is not a linear progress.  I highly recommend using different measurements to guide your fitness journey.  But how can that be done without the fancy calipers and bio-electrical impedance machines? There are several measurements that can be done easily to track progress.  My two favorites are the classic scale and clothes fit measures.  

We almost all have a scale at home or access to a scale somewhere.  The trick to using the scale is to measure yourself at the same time. Also, do not obsess with weighing yourself every day.  If you go down the rabbit-hole of measuring yourself every day you are going to get discouraged, or worse yet, develop an eating disorder.  Pick a day and time once a week to measure yourself and stick to that schedule. If you track your fitness journey with a scale and clothes, you can get a great idea for where you are.

The clothes fit measure is more for when you hit a plateau. There will be days or weeks when the scale does not change, but you might notice your clothes are fitting better or looser.  This is generally a result of losing weight and body fat.  Muscle is mostly water, so it tends to be denser, which is why the scale won’t change, but the fit of your clothes will.

 The main take away is do not get discouraged and do not get obsessed.  Treat your path to a a healthier you as a journey.  There is no better reward than your health!