One of the reasons why you don’t see results after you’ve been on a fitness journey is because you keep looking in the mirror. Yes, the mirror lies. You don’t have to always look in the mirror to see whether your gym session is paying off or not. Reaching your health goals isn’t just about eating right and exercising.
You need to climb on that scale and see what it says. You need to take measurements of your waistline before and after a period of time. All of these steps are called fitness tracking which will allow you to know what works and what doesn’t work for you. This also helps you to stay motivated and also see areas where you can improve. There are lots of simple ways to track your fitness progress, which we will explore in this article.
Tracking Methods
Fitness journals
This can be any type of journal. You can use this journal to track your progress, focusing on how a particular workout made you feel and reflecting on what you need to improve on.
Tips: For this type of tracking method, make your jottings as structured and consistent as possible. Don’t do too much, just focus on things like your weight, body measurements, and how many reps or sets you do, and any other details that would help you make more informed progress.
Fitness apps and trackers
Fitness apps and trackers make tracking your progress easy because everything is automated. These apps or trackers help you gather data and show you insights into your performance, which can be daily or weekly or even monthly. It shows you things like your heart rate, the amount of calories burned per day, and even your sleeping patterns.
Tips: Do not choose a fitness app or tracker just because your friend uses it. You’d want to choose a fitness app or tracker that has the features you want and the tracker should be able to go with whatever phone you use or any other device you have.
Also consider the costing of the fitness app or tracker and any subscription plan. You’d want to pay for a subscription plan that you can afford on a monthly basis. Thankfully, these apps and trackers have user reviews, so go through their reviews and decide which app or tracker works best for you and your needs.
Progress photos
Taking photos at the start of your fitness journey allows you to see the changes happening in your body, which can be very motivating.
Tips: Make sure to capture different angles so you can notice your overall body changes, not just a particular spot.
Measurements
Measurements give you real and measurable data to work with. This allows you to see how your body changes in kilograms or pounds. The things that you should measure while tracking your fitness journey are your overall body weight, the measurements of your chest, waist, and hips, and then your body fat percentage.
Performance metrics
Tracking your performance metrics allows you to see how much stronger, faster, or even more flexible you’ve become over time. Examples of performance metrics include the heaviest weight you can lift, how far or fast you can run or cycle, the number of push-ups or pull-ups you can do, and flexibility tests to show you how far you can stretch or bend.
Bottom Line
One major reason you’re not seeing results on your fitness journey is because you’re relying too much on the mirror. Instead of just looking for physical changes, track your progress using measurable methods. Tracking keeps you motivated, and accountable. If you focus on these methods, you’ll see better results over time.
