If you’re goal is to lose weight, and you’ve been regularly working out but not losing weight, then this post is for you! It’s very easy to get frustrated when the scale is not dropping the way you think it should, and a lot of folks will actually quit working out for this reason. Remember this – fitness is FAR MORE than just a number on a scale! In my opinion, body weight is one of the least important aspects of fitness. So, in this post I want to outline some things that you can use when measuring fitness progress.
Measuring Fitness Progress Properly
Below you will find a list of important things to look for when determining whether or not your fitness goals are being accomplished.
- Body Fat Percentage – I would rather know my body fat percentage than my weight any day of the week. This is extremely important, and if you’re a beginner to fitness then there’s a great chance that you are adding some muscle at the same time of losing fat. Considering that muscle is more dense that fat, the number on the scale can very well sit still for a while as your body is undergoing changes. So, if you’re doing the right things by working out and eating clean, but the scale isn’t moving… keep at it! If you’re not sure what your body fat percentage is (or how to measure it), then go check out the following site. BODY FAT CALCULATOR
- Resting Heart Rate – An obese person may have a resting heart rate of over 80 beats per minute (bpm). Lance Armstrong had a resting heart rate of around 32-34 bpm. Obviously, the lower your resting heart rate the better. Monitor this each week to see if your resting heart rate is dropping. The best time to do it is right after you wake up, and BEFORE you even put a foot on the ground. If you can’t remember, tape a note to the ceiling! = )
- Clothes! – Your wardrobe is an excellent indicator of fitness progress. Are you using less holes in your belt, or do your jeans fit more loose? Because the scale isn’t dropping doesn’t mean you’re not losing fat.
- Energy – Having more energy throughout the day is also a good indicator that you’re doing something right. Making it through your day with a little more “pep in your step” is always a good thing. Think about how you feel now that you workout regularly, and compare that to how you felt when you didn’t.
- Strength / Performance – If you are pushing yourself harder and “digging deeper” than you were when you started, then props to you! You’ll know that you’re being successful when you can do more pull ups, push ups, etc… than you could when you started.
- Measurements – I hope you’re taking measurements! If you’re not, then you need to start now. When starting out, your muscles are developing as you burn fat. Having a set of starting measurements is extremely useful to evaluate how much fat you’re losing or muscle you’re growing.
- Before / After Pics – C’mon! This one is a no brainer…. It’s a lot of fun to compare your 30, 60, and 90 day pics to your day one. This keeps me about as motivated as anything else. If I ever don’t feel like working out on a particular day, I’ll just take a look at my before pic…(see it right HERE if you’d like)… then it’s pretty easy to get moving! If you haven’t started taking regular pictures of yourself, then start! This is a great tool in measuring fitness progress!
- Fit Test – Most (if not all) Beachbody programs come with a fit test. Some programs like Insanity will have you complete the test directly after completing the program. These are extremely valuable in measuring fitness progress. For example, even if my weight stayed the same but I increased all of my numbers on my fit test, then what I have done was successful to at least some extent.
I’m sure there are a lot of other methods you could use in measuring your fitness success, however these are a few I could come up with off the top of my head. If you have any additional methods that you use, then please post them in the “comments” section below, as I would love to hear about them.
Measuring Fitness Progress Properly – One Last Note!
If you haven’t checked it out yet, the teambeachbody website actually has sweet profile section for you to log things like your measurements, resting heart rate, body fat %, weight, and so on. The cool thing about this is that it’s calendar style, so it will keep track of your stats as long as you update them. Then you can look back at how you’re trending… It’s a really valuable tool, and fun to use.
So, if you haven’t taken advantage of this then do so now… You can visit the teambeachbody website, and sign up for your account, by clicking RIGHT HERE. Oh, it’s TOTALLY FREE by the way!
Thanks for reading, and I hope this post helps some of you guys who are getting frustrated that the scale isn’t moving much. Just stick with your plan, and the results will come!
