By Flow Coach Mackennon Klink, BS, CSCS, PN1

Whether it is a kitchen remodel, job promotion, or increasing “followers” on Instagram, there is no better feeling than to see how far you have come after starting something. This holds true for your fitness goals as we know there is no bigger discouragement than lack of progress after countless hours in the gym. While there are many ways to assess overall progress, the 5 listed below are the ones that I have found most reliable when addressing more aesthetic fitness goals (i.e. not only feel your best but look your best in the process). As a rule of thumb, progress should be tracked every 4 to 6 weeks.

1. Progress Pictures

While quality of life should be your primary goal, we do understand that people also want to “look” as great as they feel. Pictures serve as a great motivator as they will always be there to provide inspiration and a sense of accomplishment in how far you have come.

Progress photos should be taken at the beginning of your fitness journey, then preferably every 4-6 weeks in regular intervals. Here are a couple of tips when taking your photo:

· Take photo at the same time of day
· Wear the same clothes
· Use the same lighting and background
· Save photo as full size and with high resolution
· Take pictures from the front, profile , and back
· Pose as the REAL YOU (No flexing, tightening, or sucking in)

2. Body Circumference Measurements

Placement of fat is a significant factor in the risk of disease. Those with a high percentage of fat in the abdominal region are more at risk than those with the fat located elsewhere. A common method to assess this potential risk is to obtain a waist to hip measurement and its corresponding ratio. For health reasons, it is recommended that waist to hip ratios be <0.90 and <0.80 for men and women, respectively.

· Record each measurement to the 1/8 inch
· Here is a great video to show you how to conduct a waist to hip assessment

3. Body Fat Percentage

Body fat assessments are a common form of measurement to track overall body composition (fat mass vs. lean muscle mass) and is my preferred indicator of overall progress. Unfortunately, body fat measurements are more difficult to “self-administer” and in-home devices are usually inaccurate. My advice is to invest the $35-50 it cost to do Hydrostatic Weighing, Dexa-Scan or Fit3D Scan (currently offered at Flow Fitness) as these represent the “Gold Standards” in reliable body composition measurements.

Check out the table below to see which category you fall into:

4. Writing Stuff Down
If you are serious about getting results, you will need to start tracking your workouts. What does tracking your workout and progress looks like? It begins with having a workout plan in place and writing down what you did. For example:

· If you did 5 sets of 5 reps of back squats at 225 last week, then you’ll need to do 5 sets of 5 reps of back squats at 230+lbs the following week to get stronger.

· If you did 3 sets of 5 pull ups last week for a total of 15 pull ups, then you’ll need to do 16+ pull ups the following week to get stronger.

A journal (and a pen) only cost you a few bucks and can make a huge difference in your training and results.

5. The Scale

For the record, I am not a big fan of using bodyweight as a metric for tracking progress. With the primary reason being that our weight fluctuates daily from 2-5 pounds! In addition, too many people allow the number on the scale to radically impact their mood and how they feel about themselves. However, if you choose to use the scale to measure progress, step on the scale the first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and before drinking or eating anything.

Along with pictures and measurements, the scale is simply another tool in your toolbox to assess progress, so you can adjust your current plan when needed. Remember transformation does not happen overnight and the best way to ensure progress is to stay consistent in your training plan and by enjoying the sense of accomplishment that follows.

Have you ever had a workout where everything just feels “blah”?  Exercises that normally are performed with style and grace feel uncoordinated, clumsy, and “harder than it normally is”. Though we understand that some days will just be better than others, no one should feel as if they have taken several steps backward. So, before you let your frustration get the best of you, ask yourself: “Am I giving my body the best opportunity to succeed”? Because a lousy workout is usually the body telling you that you are failing in 1 (if not all) of 4 areas.

1. Movement Preparation and Ponder

Delete the word “warm-up” from your vocabulary and along with it the useless 10-minute jog or stationary cycling you typically do prior to activity. Instead, think in terms of preparing your body for movement and focus on the joint mobility, muscle activation, and stabilizing drills necessary for success. For example, if your training plan includes squats and lunges, prepare the body by mobilizing the ankles and hips, activating the muscles of the glutes, and stabilizing deep lying core muscles through various breathing drills. Following your workout, take a moment and ponder how each exercise felt and what areas of the body may have let you down. Focus on addressing those areas via stretching, foam rolling, and additional mobility work before you leave the gym.

2. Hydration.

H20 is one of the easiest things to address and offers immediate benefits towards performance. The other great thing about hydration is you can assess your hydration levels frequently every time you hit the rest room. If your urine is clear to faint yellow you are good to go! However, if your urine is ‘Big Bird yellow’ to ‘paper bag brown’, you need to up the water intake immediately.  To aid in hydration, seek to add natural electrolyte mixes into your water and avoid bottled water with additives or coloring.

3. Pre/ post workout fuel (food)

Because food is not easily accessible (as compared to water) this tends to be a main culprit in poor performance. Pre-workout food should be more carb focused (YES, THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOU) as carbs will be your primary fuel source during most activities. Post Workout, your focus should be on replenishing what you lost (carbs, H20, electrolytes) and eating clean protein sources to maintain and/or build muscle. Best practice is to have your meals prepared prior to the workday, so you have performance enhancing food sources at your fingertips throughout the day.

4. SLEEP

Besides having cool dreams of saving the world from evil space aliens, sleep allows you to perform at your best physically, and cognitively. Unfortunately, life involves conflicts that deny you the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep necessary. To combat this dilemma, make every moment of your pre-sleep routine count by eliminating cell phones, tv shows, heavy meals, or caffeine before your head hits the pillow. Instead have mindful self-reflection, stretch, and practice deep breathing exercise about 45 minutes prior to bed. When able, find a quiet area to take a quick 20-30-minute nap during day.

By addressing these 4 areas, you will find subpar workouts to be a thing of the past and can keep your energy focused on improving your quality of life for the long road ahead!

written by, Erin White Flow Fitness Coach