How To Track Your Fitness Progress

One question that the BBG community asks ALL the time is “what is the best way to track my fitness progress?”

One way that the BBG Community tracks fitness progress is by taking transformation pictures.   

I believe that the best fitness progress measurements relate to how you feel. Choose a measurement that is relevant to your goals and the reasons for starting your fitness journey. 

One reason to track your progress is that it can help you to stay motivated. As you work towards becoming fitter, it can be easy to feel discouraged because you haven’t reached your goals yet.

Keeping a record of how far you have come can help you see that you ARE making progress. 

Even slow progress is still progress! When you can see even small improvements in your performance and how you feel, it can be rewarding. 

When you want to make a change, the best way to begin is by recording your starting point! Once you have a baseline, it’s easier to notice improvements and to adjust your routine, so you can achieve your goals. 

Best ways to track fitness

Here are some of the best ways to measure your fitness progress. 

Record how you feel

Keeping a journal can help you to reflect on your progress. One of the most significant benefits of being fitter and healthier is that you feel good!

Some things you might record could be your energy levels, overall mood, and quality of sleep. You might also note if exercises that you previously found very challenging, start to become easier! 

Some days you might feel sluggish or bloated — other days you will feel full of energy and light on your feet. 

Be aware of this and don’t be discouraged if you have a day when you don’t feel as good. 

Exercise releases endorphins, which can improve your mood and wellbeing — check in with yourself after you exercise to see if you’re feeling better. 

I bet that you will! Use this journal entry as motivation to follow through with your workout plan, even on the days when you don’t feel motivated. 

Have a health check

If one of the reasons you started your fitness journey is to improve your overall health, a check-up with your doctor can show how you’ve progressed. 

Exercise has so many health benefits. It may reduce the risk of chronic disease, lessen your chance of becoming overweight, improves and maintains your cardiovascular fitness, is great for pain management, can help you live longer and improve overall wellbeing.

Track your hydration

Being well hydrated is so essential for success in your workouts! You need water to perform well during training and feel your best throughout the day.  

You can record the water you drink each day in the SWEAT app. Just select the drop icon at the top left of the screen to record your water intake. 

When you reach the goal of drinking two litres, you’ll get a trophy! You can share this on social media, in a message to your accountability partner, or save the image to your phone’s camera roll to track your progress.

Take photos from the front, back and side. For a more accurate comparison, try to wear the same clothing each time. 

Try to take the photos at the same time of day, in the same lighting conditions. Daily weight can fluctuate up to a couple of kilos everyday depending on your food and water intake, exercise completed, and how you have slept.  Plus even a small change in lighting can make a difference in the appearance of your body!

Taking a photo before you start and comparing it to a new photo, week to week or month to month, can show you changes in your body composition and your confidence!

Measure your body

Muscle weighs more than fat, so taking measurements of your body can show you even the smallest changes to your body composition. 

Even if your weight doesn’t change, you may notice that your waist, hips or other body parts do. 

Measurements are helpful for more than just tracking your weight loss goal. Measuring your body can help you to identify imbalances, strengths and weaknesses. 

Be guided by the fit of your clothes

Many women have clothes that they’d like to fit into or fill out better. The fit and feel of your clothing can be a guide to the changes that you might not spot by looking in the mirror. 

This test has to be realistic! Pick a pair of jeans you love and use the fit to measure your progress every month or so.