My favourite progress indicators that aren't the scales

One of the hardest things to deal with when trying to get fit is feeling like you aren't making progress.  This is often a product of looking at the scales and not seeing them move very much day-to-day.  There's more than one way to judge progress, however.  I thought I'd give you a few of my other favourites to use.

The first one that comes to mind after the scales is a tape measure.  It seems obvious but it isn't one that many people use - maybe because it's easier for someone else to measure you than it is to measure yourself.   However, if you have someone who can measure you then I would advise you to take advantage of this.  It doesn't have to be a thousand different measurements, you could just use a couple if you wanted to.  The main ones that I recommend are hips, waist and chest.  But you can go into more detail and take neck, calf, bicep, thigh and even more measurements based on your goal and how much time you want to spend getting measured.  It also comes in handy if you're getting a suit fitted any time soon as you'll already have the measurements for the tailor.

The next one that I find useful is simply to ask yourself (or the client in my case) how your clothes are fitting recently.  Are they tighter? Looser?  Can you get into a pair of jeans that you haven't even thought about for a couple of years? Added an extra notch to your belt recently? Are the arms in your T-Shirts suddenly cutting off circulation as your biceps are getting too big to fit in them? These are good indications of whether you are losing fat and/or gaining muscle.   

Next up, pictures.  Now, I don't necessarily suggest spending 40 minutes each morning taking gym mirror selfies as that may irritate fellow gymgoers.  But taking regular pictures is useful as it can show you progress that may not show up on the scales.  Standard front, back and side views are usually OK.  If someone can take the photo even better as your hand won't obscure anything, but whatever you feel comfortable with is fine.  I'd also advise taking the photos in the same clothes each time to get a better representation of progress.  You don't need to show anyone, keep them to yourself, but they are a good tool for gauging body recomposition.

The last progress measure is not so much a quantitative measure but more a self-check-in process.  Asking yourself some questions and being very honest with yourself is a good way to go.  The questions can be worded however you want, but think along the lines of "how hard is my workout feeling?", "how do I feel post mealtime?", "How quickly do I recover from a hard workout?" "Do I feel more mobile/flexible than before?". These are all good ways to check in on your progress.  You can give them a rating out of 5, and keep track in a memo on your phone.  

No matter how you keep track of your progress, it's good to keep track.  It can give you motivation when times are tough and you feel like you're getting nowhere.  It can keep you motivated when you see progress from your last check-in.  So keep checking in with yourself and keep pushing forward towards your goals.

If you would like some help making progress towards your health and fitness goals then get in touch with me via my website and let's see how I can help you reach them.