Real progress is slow. It can be tedious and at times frustrating.
It's not linear so when things aren't improving all the time it may feel like you're going backwards.
Weight loss, muscle gain, strength improvements. There are so many variables that impact them.
Not every weigh in is going to be lower than the last. Not every bench press is going to be stronger than the previous.
So with that, what can you do to ensure you're progressing in the right direction?
Below are 3 things that I've found have helped me...
Be clear what you want to achieve with real reasons why
Ever set yourself 4 or 5 different goals and not achieve any of them?
Yep, I've done that. When you try to achieve a lot of different goals at the same time, you can spread yourself thin and not truly complete any of them.
So rather than setting yourself up to fail, set yourself up to succeed.
Have fewer goals and make sure you've got real reasons for why you want to achieve them.
Once you've got one or two clear goals and tangible reasons for them, you can then focus your time & energy on that.
What get's measured, get's managed
This is a classic phrase that I love.
Data. Data. Data.
That's probably just the geek in my coming out, but what you track really does help yourself understand what's happening. So you're able to manage whatever goal you have better.
With the amount of technology we have at our fingertips, there's no reason not to measure the variables.
Your training for instance can be tracked through an app such as FitNotes.
Your daily activity levels can be tracked through an activity tracker such as Fitbit, or most phones will have built in step counters on them.
Your nutrition can be tracked through MyFitnessPal. You can also use this to log your weight progression.
You get the idea. These are just a few of what I've used myself in the past but there's 100s of different options out there. Try a few, see what you like using and stick with it.
You then have the ability to review your progress over a long period of time.
It's easy to get bogged down if your weight doesn't change from the previous week or your squat PR doesn't increase from your last session.
But track all the data and you can then go back and see how it's changed over a more realistic time period such as months, quarters and even over the past year.
Reflection
Taking time to reflect has a massive amount of value.
It may not seem like much but stopping to take note of what you've achieved, progressed and struggled with allows you to learn how to become better.
I don't think there's a set way everyone should do it. Everyone is different.
For someone, this could be 10 minutes at the end of each day to think about how their day has gone and if they've accomplished what they set out to.
For me, it's taking time out on a Sunday or Monday to review the previous week, set some new targets and think about what I can do to improve.
I don't achieve everything I set out to each week. So when I don't, that's where I can review with myself why it's not happened.
Oh. and all of this is done on a whiteboard that I can see daily. For me, it's no good setting goals and never having visibility of them other than in my head.
Whiteboards can literally change lives.
Hopefully that's 3 clear ideas of what you can do to ensure you keep yourself progressing.
Thanks for reading. If you've got any questions or want any support with anything, let me know!
Vele Fitness