How is your progress?

No matter what your health and fitness goals are there are multiple ways to track your progress. You should track your progress many different ways because knowing the progress you're making helps keep up the motivation on those days where you feel like you're not "getting anywhere." I know I have felt that way often! But there is also something to be said for trying to weigh, measure, etc. too often! Results will come, but checking EVERY day will just leave you frustrated - and who has the time for all that every day anyhow? So when should you check your progress - and HOW?

1) ALWAYS take "Before" photos and measurements. I know, I know, you don't want to look at your before pictures, and you surely don't want anybody else looking at them, right? Well, when you have your "After" pictures you will!! Even if you don't want anybody else to see them keep them for YOU. Then on those days where you're wondering if it's all worth it you can look at those "Before" pictures and see how far you've come! Also record your starting weight and measurements - hips, thighs, waist, chest, thighs, and arms. If you haven't already signed up for your FREE account on Team Beachbody go to My Coaching Site, click on "Join" (in orange), and register for the Free Account. There are great tools on there to track your progress! You can input your weight, measurements, and goals! You can also write them down in a journal or a piece of paper - just WRITE THEM DOWN! :) Weight/measurements should be taken about every 30 days or based on your specific program. If you're doing a "Fast Start" you may be advised to take them before, half-way, and after. Follow the guidelines of your specific program or in general I recommend taking them every 30 days. Remember NOT to focus on the number on the scale. It is SO easy (and tempting) to just step on the scale to see how we're doing, but your weight can fluctuate throughout the day and can vary depending on certain variables, so keep in mind there is more to it!! How are your clothes fitting? How do you feel? Keep those in mind before getting discouraged!

2) Take a Fit Test! I think this one gets easily overlooked! With focus so much on losing weight and inches we forget how important it is to see how much we've increased in strength and endurance! Heart health is huge! If I hadn't done a Fit Test before, during, and after Slim in 6 I wouldn't have known how much my resting pulse improved - a big deal for someone who was born with a heart defect! My defect was repaired when I was almost 17, but because I had it repaired so late my left atrium is enlarged and heartbeat is somewhat irregular. Now my resting pulse is "normal." That is a HUGE accomplishment - one that could be easily overlooked. It's important to remember that yes, weight loss is very important - even more so if it is affecting your overall health! But don't forget the aspect of overall health. This includes keeping your body functioning at its best. Women, in particular, may worry about strength training, but it's so important. Especially those of us with young kids - we're toting around kids all day! We need to have the strength and endurance to be moms! And even more so - MUSCLE BURNS FAT.

So how do you do a Fit Test? Well, there are multiple ways. For a general idea there is a Fit Test (with instructions) in your goal tracking in your Team Beachbody Account. Please Contact me if you need more information! Also with most fitness programs you start you will have a Fit Test that comes with it. Ideally you will do the Fit Test before the program, in the middle, and again at the end. The Fit Test I recently took was specific to RevAbs, so it wasn't an overall, general Fit Test. Here are some points for a general guage:
♦ Resting pulse - take your pulse immediate upon waking up and track it again after 30 days, 45 days, etc.
♦ Cardio endurance - whether you gauge it by how many jumping jacks you can do in 30 sec, how far you can run in 30 min, etc. be consistent and also check it again after your chosen amount of days.
♦ Strength - How is your strength increasing? Do things like bicep curls, push-ups, etc. Generally to gauge strength you can count your strength exercises to failure - meaning you cannot possibly do anymore! Some like to gauge strength on how much more weight they are using. You can increase your weight as well (make sure again you write all of this down), though it does change up the comparison point. If you're lifting more for the same amount then you can conclude you have gained in strength, but if you lift less than you did before using the new, higher weight you can't necessarily assume you didn't increase in strength because it would be dependent on the weight.
♦ Flexibility - This is another key to progress! Flexibility is so important! You can gauge your flexibility based on how much further you can stretch! It helps to have someone there who can help you measure the difference. Ex. how close your hands get to your feet or beyond your feet, etc. I've tried to measure this myself, and it's tough! haha Obviously YOU will be able to tell if your flexibility has improved, but again it's always helpful to have it written or recorded somewhere!

And don't forget I'm always here to help in anyway! I do think the idea of tracking your progress makes it so much more "real." We see ourselves every day, and it's easy to overlook our physical progress especially because it happens gradually - and we still tend to focus on the problem areas. DON'T! Even if you're not at you goal it's great to feel great about how far you've gotten! In fact, feeling good about the progress you've made will continue to give you that motivation to get where you're going! And again, if you need more of a push - that's what I'm here for! :)

So as I mentioned - I recently took my mid-program Fit Test for RevAbs - and since I hadn't posted the results yet, here we go!
Squat Hold - I increased from 1 min 19 sec to 2 min 1 sec
Push-Up - I increased from 10 to 16 in 30 seconds
Jumping Jacks - I increased from 33 to 37 in 30 seconds
Plank - I increased from 1 min 3 sec to 1 min 20 sec
Cobra - I increased from 2 min 58 sec to 3 min 13 sec
Crunches - I decreased from 25 to 22 in 30 sec (Remember - this does happen sometimes and can depend on many factors - like abs being sore! haha Don't be discouraged and look at the bigger picture - your overall results.)
Leg Drops - I increased from 19 to 25 in one minute
Side plank Right - I increased from 37 sec to 48 sec
Side plank Left - I increased from 37 sec to 50 sec

And the last thing to make sure you're tracking? YOUR NUTRITION. Don't forget! All Beachbody programs come with a nutrition guide, which is extremely helpful! There are many apps available and helpful sites, etc. that can help you track your nutrition as well, and if you have any questions please let me know!

I ♥ Rev Abs! :)