What’s The Best Way to Measure Progress when Getting Into Shape?

Let’s start off with the worst way! And that’s the weighing scales. Unless you’re very heavy, you’re not going to see much progress if you’re training correctly. And that’s because you’re going to be gaining lean muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so if you’ve a half stone to lose, you may drop half a stone in weight, but you’re not going to see it on the scales. Why is that again? Because you’re gaining lean muscle, while burning fat.

So now, once and for all, ditch the weighing scales and focus on your clothes.

What’s The Best Way to Measure Progress when Getting Into Shape?

What does getting into shape mean to you?

For me it means lots of energy, feeling great in my clothes, a really good level of fitness, good sleep and feeling really good.

1. Use your clothes for the weight loss part. For that stone, half a stone, try on your jeans that are tight, and put them on once per week.
2. Alongside that measure how well you’re sleeping, how much energy you have, if your sluggishness has gone and how you’re feeling!
3. Focus on your ACTION steps, get on with it, and stop thinking about it. If you’re working out, eating well, sleeping well and drinking loads of water, you’re going to get EXACTLY where you want to be.
4. Be really real with yourself. If you’re working out, eating well, drinking loads of water but drinking wine every night, you can’t ignore that fact. You have to learn to be honest about where you are and what you need to do. But that’s OK, we all have struggles. If you’re sitting on the couch eating rubbish every night, it doesn’t matter how good you’ve been in the day, you’re going to gain fat.
5. If you workout, eat well, lots of protein, veg, fruit, wholegrains, you’re going to turn into a calories burning lean machine.
6. Give your body time to get results. Give yourself a month. I know it’s tempting to think after a great week, you should be where you want to be but that is cracked. Allow your body time to build lean muscle, to burn fat and to get strong.

The best measure of your progress is how you feel, how fit you are and how you fit in your clothes. That’s it. Forget BMI or the weighing scales!

I hope this helps you!

You can download recipes, my 7 day workout series and my 30 day Fast-Track to #FEELGOOD Program in the free tools section of my website here

To your success,

Jessica Cooke X