Many of my clients like to track progress. So do I! I love it when we’re able to look back on weeks & months of work to see how far you’ve come. But the question is… if we don’t count calories, track weight loss, or focus on visible changes in your body, how can we measure your progress without using the scale or other numbers?
I feel so grateful that I have built this healthy relationship with food and fitness to be able to listen to my body, fuel appropriately, and enjoy exercise. Trust me, that hasn’t always been the case.
In my work with clients, we often talk about directing the focus away from calories, weight and aesthetic goals/metrics, which include tracking calories eaten each day, taking before and after photos, wanting to fix a certain “problem area,” or wanting to fit into certain clothes you might not feel comfortable in now. Because concentrating on these things leads to feeling like you’re never good enough. 😔
But if you don’t focus on calories eaten, the number on the scale or aesthetics, can you measure your progress? YES!
Here are some qualitative and quantitative things you can track to see if your mindset, fitness level and overall health are improving:
- 💭 How often you notice your hunger and fullness cues
- 🧀 How consistently you act on your hunger and fullness cues
- 🥪 Learning which combinations of foods satisfy you and which ones don’t
- ⬇️ Fewer thoughts of foods as “good” or “bad” or “healthy” and “unhealthy”
- ⬆️ More thoughts about which foods actually sound good to you, and which ones will truly nourish you
- 🏋️♀️ Increases in weights you are lifting or increases in reps, or both!
- ⏰ Being able to complete a workout in a shorter amount of time, or reducing rest between sets
- 👍 Improved endurance: increased duration or intensity of your cardio (yes, walking counts!)
- 💪 Better form or advancements in skill of your exercises
- 🥳 Exercising more often or more intentionally because you truly enjoy it
- 📆 Scheduling in a rest & recovery day
- 😄 Improvements in lab results
- 🤩 Noticeable improvements in energy in the morning or throughout the day
- 😴 Improved sleep – quantity or quality!
If you’re reading this thinking it sounds great, but that you don’t know how to get to that place mentally and physically, you’re not alone!
I offer a variety of services, from individual nutrition coaching to nutrition coaching + exercise programming, all with the underlying principles of:
-
Building a healthy relationship with food and fitness
-
Achieving body confidence in how you move and feel
-
Offering sustainable solutions that help you live a balanced life that aligns with your values
Click here to schedule a free call to discuss your goals and challenges, and I’ll talk to you about next steps and how I might be able to help!
I can’t wait to chat with you! 🎉