Guess What? BMI Might Not Be The Best Metric…
It isn’t abnormal for someone to decide they’re ready to start their fitness journey, only to work through programs for a few weeks before abruptly abandoning their goals. In many cases, the fitness cycle will begin again, repeating until we break the cycle.
The results of our progress can be slow initially, and the methods we use to track our progress can tell a lot or little about how far we have or haven’t come. Progress takes time, so if you want to see results, it takes time, dedication, commitment, and tracking progress!
When we see results, it drives us, giving us the motivation we need to push ahead with fitness. Let’s explore some ways to measure your fitness progress to see the results. It may take some experimenting to learn what works best for you.
BMI Measurement For Weight Loss
BMI, or body mass index is a measure of body size. BMI combines a person’s weight and height. The measurements can give us an idea of whether we’re the right weight for our size.
However, using this metric might not be the best form of measurement when it comes to tracking our weight loss goals. According to Medical News Today, BMI is an inaccurate seasure of body fat content, and it doesn’t consider the person’s muscle mass, overall body composition, bone density, and racial and sex differences. Therefore, it’s not the best calculator to focus on.
Tracking Your Weight Loss Journey
The mirror, scales, and BMI can’t be solely relied on to determine our success. We can’t and won’t always see the exterior results, but things are changing. That being said, utilizing several tracking techniques is beneficial for seeing results from different angles.
Use A Fitness Journal
Tracking our progress doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as simple as keeping a fitness journal. Use a notebook and pen, digital notes, vocal recordings, or a fitness app to track your development and success.
Logging things like your workouts allows us to visualize how much time we spend on our fitness. Jotting down our meals is quick and easy. In the long run, having the information to look over makes the entire journey easier.
- Write down exercises performed each session.
- Log the number of sets and reps completed.
- If you’re strength training, record the weight amounts used.
- Runners should include the distance and times they jog or run.
- Include how you feel post-workout and the next day.
A fitness journal is an excellent way to track our regular diet. A healthy diet and exercise are vital balances for fitness. Diet or exercise alone won’t provide the best results; it’ll only bring you so far. You don’t have to focus so much on counting calories as on eating healthy foods and making healthy diet choices.
Fitness Trackers & Fitness Apps
Technology-driven fitness tracking puts a modern twist on pen and paper journals. They’re also a little more in-depth. Fitness trackers, apps, and smartwatches store data results from our workouts. Apple Watches and Fit Bits track precisely how many steps we’ve taken and monitor our heart rate over time. If you’d rather keep it old school, you can use a pedometer to track your steps. Below you’ll find four awesome Apps to track your fitness progress, plus some.
- FitNotes
- Strongly
- Jefit
- MyFitnessPal
We’ll wrap this up with a few other ways to track your weight loss journey.
- Pay attention to the way your clothes fit and feel. If you notice changes, track them and keep pushing toward the end goal.
- Track your weight from time to time. The scale doesn’t always tell the whole truth because different variants can affect our general weight. But, every few weeks, it’s nice to hop on and log it.
- Measure your muscles and waist. Muscle weighs more than fat, one of the main reasons a scale can lie. Measuring your body allows you to notice the incremental changes.
Fitness is a forever-type thing. Once we’ve reached our fitness goals, we’ll have to continue working towards keeping our bodies fit. It’s maintenance! We have to keep up with our entire system if we want it to function and feel its best.