Last Updated on November 22, 2017 by MarcyPro
Featured Image Source: trainrite.ca
The key to achieving your fitness goals is keeping track of your progress. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and knowing your progress gives you the mental edge to keep on going. When you see how much you’re improving, your routine will give you a sense of purpose, and that makes all the difference.
Keeping a journal is one of the best ways you can keep track of your progress, and among the benefits, you can expect include:
- You can review the effectiveness of your exercise plan.
- You can stay motivated.
- You can maintain healthy habits and get rid of the bad ones.
- You can make informed decisions on the next step of your plan.
- You can get a real-time feedback on your lifestyle choices.
Now that you know the benefits of keeping tabs on your routine with your journal, what should you be tracking? If you want to make sure you’re putting in the right data, here’s what you need to do:
- Take note of your body weight from the previous year.
- Note the percentage of body fat you had before you started your fitness plan.
- Keep track of the weight of the barbell or dumbbells you’re using.
- Note your waist measurement from the previous year.
- Note your blood pressure from the last checkup.
To find out if you’ve been making strides with your fitness program:
- Use a tape measure to get your waist measurement. On your journal, write down the measurement, along with the date. After a month, write down the next measurement and so on. After a few more months, you’ll see just how much you’ve improved.
- Keep in mind what size of clothes you were wearing when you started the fitness plan. This is the clearest indicator of your progress. If the clothes that you were wearing when you started your workout are starting to slide off when you wear them, it’s time you buy new clothes. This an excellent way to know that you’ve lost weight.
- There’s a pep in your step. Every time you wake in the morning, you notice that there’s a spring in your step. There’s increased energy, better sleep, and you wake up on time.
One of the keys to a successful fitness program is motivation. To keep motivated, you can try taking pictures of your progress or you can use workout apps and other fitness trackers on your smart devices for further exercise routine suggestions and for your future exercise plans.
With your fitness journal, you can look back and see how far you’ve come with your program. Once you reach your goal, it’s time for the next challenge. Check Marcy Pro for all your fitness needs and take your home workouts to the next level.