Tracking Your Progress

I’ve always been an advocate of tracking progress. When it comes to fitness and nutrition goals it’s extremely important to see where you start and measure the successes and failures throughout your journey to reaching your goal.

Honestly, if it’s not written down, more times than not, you’ll just run around in circles chasing your tail. (well, if you have one) 🙂

Think about it, if you are traveling in a car, you have to have map or GPS to get you there. There has to be something written in order for you to find your way. Even with a map we can get lost on road trips.

If we’re trying to reach a weight loss goal or achieve a higher fitness level for ourselves or a competition we won’t know if we’re off or just need a little more time if it’s not written down for review.

There are several things you should measure.

First, workouts should be written. I’ve been training for TKD competitions since the age of 15. I still have journals I wrote in from over 20 years ago! Track each workout to see improvements and weaknesses. If you’re getting stronger, losing weight, etc. then you’re probably on track if you’re injured burned out or things aren’t moving on the scale, there’s a good chance you’re workouts need a tweek.

The second part that should be tracked is cardiovascular exercise.

How many minutes, miles, calories burned, intensity, etc. Tracking cardio will help us figure out part of our daily nutrition requirements.

We have to replace what we burn or at least a good bit of it. Many plans fail right here. Too much cardio and not enough nutrition can equal disaster for a weight loss and strength building program.

The next is Rest and Recovery. Mental journaling is great. Why? Everyday won’t be great. We can expect it, but if you’ve lived more than 5 minutes on earth, you know things go wrong some times. It’s a great idea to track your moods.

Workouts can suffer if you’re not all there mentally. It may not have anything to do with the workout itself, it could be how you feel on a typical day or your energy levels maybe higher in the morning versus training at night. The only way to know is to write it down.

Finally and probably the most important, if there was only one that could be tracked, it would be nutrition.
It’s way too easy to stuff your face and eat more than you think you are. There seems to be a disconnect from hand to mouth and mouth to brain when it comes to quantities and amounts for a daily caloric intake. Setting caloric levels for the day, figuring out nutrient requirements and sticking to the daily levels is THE KEY to success. PERIOD!

If you’re not writing it down, you’re probably one of those who aren’t happy with your results. I have my clients write down their nutrition on a daily bases. Do all of them do it? Nope. But, the ones who do write down everything they eat see the fastest and best results.

When I was growing up everything had to written in journals, calculated out by adding all the daily calories, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and fiber together.

Today, this can all be done for you on the computer or smart phone. There’s a great FREE app called “Myfitnesspal”

It works great at setting daily limits, tracking every meal, cardio exercise etc. We’ve been using this for several weeks on a trial to see if this was a good option. The response is… that everyone is eating way too much to support their goals. A few aren’t eating enough.

If you’re a Trinity client or member, there are ways to change the settings to make it in line with the way we teach our Supportive Nutrition program. If you need assistance, please email me for the info.

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels in circles, measure and track your daily routine. You’ll be able to see and track places you can improve.

Start Strong, Finish Stronger!
Nathan

For more information on Supportive Nutrition and Trinity’s Nutrition Boot Camp, check it here. Or call me at 404.966.5425 to set up and consult for our fitness and  nutrition training. We have 4 spots available for private training and few for small group performance training.

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