Today’s post is from my very first guest blogger, the beautiful Anna Lavonne Richardson from Glam Legacy Fit!
Anna’s fitness journey began in September 2012 when she decided to enter a WBFF fitness competition. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and small business management. She uses her education to “build a business that will help women learn and perfect the skill of self confidence through nutrition, fitness, and self improvement” (borrowed from her About Me section on her blog). Anna has dedicated her life and business to helping women think beyond their genetics and what is considered average, which is something I personally promote in my health business, as well!
Anna has taken all her knowledge and experience with her nutrition and fitness business, and has written a great piece about how to measure your progress without a scale. It’s a topic that is very important to me, and I hope her tips help you as much as they have helped me! Take it away Anna:
Measuring progress in your fitness journey is one of the most important components of getting healthy and fit. Progress is the one thing that we look for in our fitness journey. For some of us our progress is measured by a distance we run without stopping or going to see the doctor and having your lab work improve. We look for our clothes to fit tighter in some places and looser in others. Tracking your progress is an essential step, but what is the proper way to go about doing it?
I was recently torn up when I saw a higher number on the scale. Yes, me! I teach all of my clients to ignore the number on the scale and I have often suggested people remove the scale from their home. Here I was stressing over a number and doing the very thing I tell people not to do. I realized quickly I was measuring progress the wrong way and I had no business being on that scale. I lift heavy weights, of course the number is going to go up. Muscle weighs more than fat, and the more lean muscle increases, so does the number on the scale. I sat down and created new ways to teach everyone, including myself how to measure progress without the scale.
Here are my top 3 ways to measure your progress…without a scale…
- My number 1 recommendation is to take progress photos. I know at first it is so difficult to take the first series of pictures, but I promise you will be so thankful you did weeks, months, and even years later. The idea of progress pictures really does come from the pros. Competitors take progress photos weeks before a show to show their progress. Why can’t we do this as hard working women? Set up a camera with a timer and put on a 2 piece suit or sports bra with shorts. Take 3 pictures… 1 facing front, 1 facing sideways, 1 facing back. You can crop your head out if you would like, I know sometimes this helps! J Every 4-6 weeks take your progress photos again and again and again.
- Keep a progress journal or open a specific Facebook or Instagram account for your fitness journey. Write and/or share weekly updates. How many reps, how much weight, how far you ran in _____ amount of time. What gets recorded, gets improved!!
- Finally, how are your clothes fitting?! How does your skin look?! How are you sleeping?! These are all questions I encourage you to ask yourself weeks in to your fitness journey. Exercise and good nutrition improves all of these things. As you exercise and eat better, your skin will improve and start to glow. Perhaps breakouts will diminish and your hair/nails will be stronger. Your clothes will fit differently. You might even need to go out and buy a few more pairs of work pants or jeans! Are you sleeping through the night? You will begin to feel better overall and your energy levels will increase.
These are the important factors to consider as progress, not the number on the scale. Every fitness journey should be to improve yourself from the inside out, not the outside in. Decide today how you are going to start to measure your progress without the scale or numbers. Use the tools above or share your own tips below! I wish everyone great success on their fitness journey. There are so many beautiful things that come with health and wellness!
Awesome tips, right?! Thank you Anna for sharing them with us!
You can follow Anna on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
lyndsinreallife
Love this post! I always take progress pics and measure myself as opposed to weighing myself. When I worked at a PT studio I also had a trainer use calipers to take body fat. I also like the suggestion of posting on social media – the instagram fitness community is so supportive!
So true Patty! I’ve learned to measure by pictures as well, because the scale can be so cruel haha especially at-home scales!
After years of torturing myself with weigh ins, I stopped cold turkey about 9 months ago and honestly have never been happier. It’s literally like a weight lifted off of my shoulders pun intended. Nothing bad happened-my clothes still fit.
Hahah. That’s awesome Deborah! I was too addicted to the scale and now I rarely weigh myself! Good for you!!