TOP 3 WAYS TO TRACK YOUR FAT LOSS PROGRESS

Today, I wanted to talk about the best ways to tracking your progress so you can reach your goals through the fitness program and why your scale (if you use it) is setting you up for guaranteed failure. Let’s start with your scale. When you started your fitness program, you all had a goal in sight. Whether the goal was health related or to look good for an up-coming wedding, maybe it is to fit into a certain size dress or wear a nice bikini, or maybe it’s to finally rid ourselves from a medical issue and get rid of those daily medications. Whatever you initial reason to do a fitness  program, somewhere along our journey we may veer off course. Let’s face it, it would not be the first time that has happened with some type of weight loss program. You may get focused on losing weight and forget the reason we started. And inevitably we start to fight with the number on the scale and this becomes the only battle that matters, changing our open path to success into the tunnel vision of failure. When we reach this stage, most likely we begin to give up, or rationalize why the program is too hard, or even worse, we tell ourselves that we are okay with the way we are. We don’t really need to change. The problem with using the scale as our gauge to success is the scale doesn’t take many factors into light. – You can bloat through food, water or during specific times of the month for women. This adds weight that may not really be there. – Time of day can affect your weight. Early morning you tend to weight lighter than at the end of the day – Understand that fluctuations in the scale do not represent pure fat or muscle — it is a combination of both. – Muscle weighs more than fat, so as you are burning fat, you are also gaining strength and lean muscle. – Body can be transforming and you can look lean and slim or buffed and ripped and because you are focus on the scale – miss it all. So, how do we keep the fight in ourselves to move beyond the hard times and achieve our goals? How do we turn things around when we start to lapse, or relapse? Start by changing the way you track your progress. TOP 3 WAYS TO TRACK YOUR FAT LOSS PROGRESS Tracking and measuring your results while doing any program is the best strategy to reaching your goals. I see SO many people skip this and end up frustrated when they see no movement toward their desired goals. Here are 3 ways to help you stay focused on your goals and motivate you to the finish. 3. TAKE MEASUREMENTS Taking concrete body measurements and composition every 1-2 weeks helps you to gauge your progress and bring you closer to success. The measurements will only require a tape measure used by tailors and a means to measure your body fat percentage. The most accurate and cost-effective means to have this measurement taken is the skin-fold caliper. You can get this done at a local gym, a certified nutritionist or even through your doctor. 2. TAKE PICTURES EVERY WEEK You should already have a BEFORE PIC, but taking weekly pics really allow you to see the changes in your body. It may be hard to look at yourself, but get over it and focus on what you want to look like and change in your body. By putting the weekly pictures side by side you can see the changes in your body and see what everyone else in the world sees. A picture says a thousand words.   1. USE A PIECE OF CLOTHING TO HELP YOU GAUGE YOUR SUCCESS This is number one in my tracking books. Go and grab a pair of pants, suit, dress, bikini or shirt, that is very tight or that you want to fit into. Use it as a weekly gauge to how many inches and how your body is transforming. The first couple of weeks you may not see a change, but as your program progresses you will fit into your goal clothing. Nothing is more satisfying than fitting into something that you couldn’t before. Put these 3 tracking practices into play today if you have not already. It is never too late and you can ensure that you have increased the chances of finishing the program 100%. Oh and get rid of that damn scale or at least be aware that it will fluctuate. Listen “If you fall down the stairs and land half way down, do you just hurl yourself down the remaining stairs because you already fell down half of them? Or, do you pick yourself up and climb back to the top of the stairs”? I want you ALL to Succeed so let’s Get it Done!