What Should We Use To Measure Our Fitness Progress?
In the 21st century we have so many tools to measure our fitness progress. The invention of smart phones and, even more to the point, smart watches, allows us to have access to continuous data about our biometrics and what our fitness journey is (or is not) doing for us. This list could go on and on. I have chosen to focus on two of the most basic tools and how they may be helpful, or not. Every fitness journey needs to be kept in perspective. That perspective is first shaped by goals. Any good trainer, martial arts instructor, coach, or other type of guide will help their pupil/athlete form a goal to work towards. This gives direction and purpose and allows everyone to understand the path to what success will look like.
After goals are established, markers are needed to measure progress by. Two of the most common markers are a scale and a mirror, especially for us common people who are not training for the Olympics or an 82 game season in the NBA or some other high stakes sport. Don't get me wrong, there are still performance measures for regular people. For instance, can I open that jar of pickles unassisted? Will I be able to complete the charity 5k on Saturday? Those are real markers for measuring progress as well. However, there are a lot of people who are going to workout for aesthetic reasons. If you are going for aesthetics, two common markers are the scale or the mirror.
Many of us still today rely on the scale to tell us how were are doing. This is useful to a point, but then it becomes deceiving. One marker alone is not sufficient to measure progress, no matter what your goal is. Each person should have multiple markers to tell how things are going, and I write this article because I am trying to transform myself a bit too. I caught myself trying to use the scale to measure what I am doing and if it is working. I also found myself getting annoyed that the scale was not moving in the direction I wanted it to, in spite of some furious workouts I have been doing over the last few weeks. Not only workouts, but I have been monitoring what I eat as well.
It occurred to me that if I am getting a bit annoyed, and I am trained to know better than to trust a scale alone, maybe I should write something on using appropriate benchmarks to measure progress and how to keep everything in perspective.
The Digital Scale
I have a digital scale. It is pretty accurate. I just make sure the batteries are new, and it is good to go. I read it this morning, and could not help but be annoyed. It had hardly moved. I have been working out more than 90 minutes a day, 4-5 days per week. Cardio. Weights. Walking. Stretching. All the good things to make a good program. Still, virtually no movement.
The important thing we have to keep in mind is that body transformations can be complex and subtle, especially for those that are trying to lose the last few pounds or do that subtle sculpting in one part of the body or the other. It is not always going to happen quickly, or obviously. It certainly may not show up on your weekly weigh-in.
The product of our work is a combination of hard work and biological processes that cause chemical reactions in our bodies that lead to fat loss, muscle gain, or muscle loss. Not to mention the fact that where all this happens depends richly on how you decide to train your body. The transformation could look vastly different for someone who only runs compared to someone who only lifts weights.
The scale is but one numeric indicator, and it is not always going to be pleasing. Each person would be far better off by giving himself/herself more latitude for the results in the training process. I would suggest that your athletic and fitness training is not a single result or goal, but a journey that is continuing. Let's say a person wants to lose 10 pounds. They lose 10 pounds. Great. Does the process and the journey end forever now that they have lost 10 pounds? Fitness and training is a lifestyle that has to be cultivated through a series of routines and habits. Your fitness needs to evolve over time, just as your goals must evolve.
The Mirror
For those people that are going for a more aesthetic result (as opposed to a performance based result), I would recommend using a mirror over just a scale. Also, just as a side note, if you are into fashion and clothes, maybe use a clothes that you want to fit into as a guide as well. However, back to the mirror. The mirror will be a far better indicator to your progress than just a scale alone. A mirror allows for a subjective analysis on your part, where a scale is more black and white. Either it has the number you want, or it does not. IF you train yourself to be more forgiving, and understand that the journey to physical goals is a process, the mirror may be of more help.
However, the mirror is only one other tool to measure your progress. You have clothes to help with this. Performance based markers definitely measure your progress, although they do not measure the aesthetic for people. To that point, though, I have found that if you set an ambitious enough performance goal, you may often times achieve an aesthetic goal at the same time. For example, you can look at our Olympic track and field athletes, and all the shapes and sizes they come in, and because of their training, they all achieve a certain aesthetic that goes with their training. It is no small wonder that photographers around the world are anxious to capture the images of the track and field athletes. Another lesson with regard to the mirror can be taken by using the analogy of our track and field athletes.
If you notice, the athletes come in all shapes and sizes. They are all athletes, but a discus thrower will not look like a marathon runner and a 5,000 meter runner will not look like a sprinter. The mirror will tell the story of their training. So, with that in mind, do the training that you enjoy, and the results will follow. If you want a specific look for the mirror, then work with a trainer to tailor your workouts to achieve the results that you want. It all is a process and a journey.
Use a mirror, if you like, to measure your goals. Use a scale as well, if that works. Just remember, there are many ways to measure progress, and just using one or two ways is not really serving yourself very well. be flexible and patient and enjoy the journey towards your goal, and allow yourselves to evolve.
