I’ve also re-phrased often as “You cannot improve what does not get measured.”
This is literally applicable to all areas of life.
Sleep, fitness, nutrition, recovery, finances, relationships… the list is really endless.
Particularly, for that sake of who’s most likely reading this, I’d like to focus on the areas of fitness and nutrition.
In the gym, on the trails, out on the road running, wherever it may be… if you have goals, and you want to improve your performance you need some data.
If you never track your weights or times for certain movements or runs, how do you know if you’re improving at all?
I’m old school so I suggest a small notebook, or if you’re savvy with technology create a document where you can track what you lift from week to week, how many reps, or weight depending on the required stimulus for the day. Here’s why…
Progress Creates Motivation
When you have goals, progress is motivating.
“I’ve never squatted that weight for that many reps before!”
Progress.
“I’ve never done that many unassisted pull-ups in a workout before!”
Progress.
“That was my fastest 5k training run!”
Progress.
Not only is it motivating, it build confidence every time you make a deposit in that mental bank account.
Nutrition.
This has a bit more emotional strings attached to it for many people. There are so many ways to track progress when it comes to a weight loss, and yes weight gain journey.
Some of the most common are body measurements, progress pics, weigh-ins. The scale…the little digital devil can make things seem like nothing is happening. And the fact is, I’ve seen that number go down slower than the measurements, which leads to a lot of frustration, but in the end it’s just a tool to measure so it can be managed.
The scale will fluctuate, it’s inevitable. That’s for another post altogether.
So, those measurements, when they go down but the scale isn’t much? Progress.
Progress Pics.
They are literally peoples’ least favorite thing to send, until we do a side by side and clothes are looser, some muscles are popping through, and you start to not recognize who that first pic is even of. Progress.
It All Starts with Food.
I don’t believe you need to track macros for life.
However, if you’ve never actually measured or logged your daily food intake, how do you actually know what you’re eating?
As you’re reading this, can you tell me roughly how many grams of protein you eat a day?
If you have goals whether they’re for performance, longevity, or improving your current health, you’re being irresponsible by not knowing what you’re putting into your body. I suggest doing it for a month, even if you’re not interested in doing it as part of your journey long term.
Anytime we see progress, even if it’s as small as a 5 pound PR or clothes fitting a little better it motivates us to keep going. Start keeping track!
Don’t know where to start? Email me, I can help!