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There are a lot of different ways to measure your progress toward your goals. If you're trying to manage your weight, you could track your weigh-ins or judge how well your clothes fit. If you're trying to improve your fitness level, you might pay attention to how much weight you can lift or how fast you can run. At SparkPeople, we advise our members to use a variety of measures to check their progress. But do our experts put their own advice into practice? Find out how the SparkPeople experts measure their results! Chris Downie, Author, motivation expert and SparkPeople founder "I measure my progress by how well I'm sticking to my goals. I keep a list of my short-term goals and action steps and work to reach them and then set new ones (or make adjustments when necessary)." Becky Hand, Registered and Licensed Dietitian "I try to maintain my current weight and level of fitness. I measure my progress by how my jeans are fitting, as well as by the intensity that I can put forth in my workouts. I weigh myself about every 2-4 weeks." Nancy Howard, Certified running coach and SparkPeople Community moderator "I no longer own a scale, but I do weigh myself every 4-6 weeks at my gym. As far as gauging my progress, I go by the way my favorite jeans fit. If they start getting snug, I go back to tracking my nutrition until they fit the way they used to." Tanya Jolliffe, Healthy eating expert and SparkPeople Community moderator "I measure results by the fitness goals I set, such as holding a plank for one minute, running several miles, race walking 2.5 miles in 30 minutes, doing 10 real push-ups, etc. I do not weigh myself at home at all; I only get weight checks when I visit my medical providers a couple times a year." Jen Mueller, Certified personal trainer and SparkPeople Community leader "I measure progress by how I feel during training runs and how easily I can increase my mileage. I try not to get on the scale very often because the scale and I aren't really friends. It's too easy for me to let a number determine how happy I am with my body, so it's better for me to just focus on other measures of progress." Nicole Nichols, Certified personal trainer and SparkPeople editor "I never weigh myself. I think the last time I weighed myself was over a year ago. I do judge my progress based on how my clothes fit, my overall energy level, and how I feel and perform during my workouts. Personally, I'd rather make the right choices (maintain my weight with healthy food choices and consistent workouts) so I can run a 10K or improve my time during my workouts or races. That is a truly motivating way to view weight control and fitness!" Denise Tausig, SparkPeople Coach and Community moderator "I actually quit stepping on the scale because I got to the point that I was watching the scale every day and noticed that for me, it was an unhealthy habit. I now go by the way my clothes fit and how I feel rather than letting the scale dictate how I feel about myself. It's just a number." There are lots of different ways to measure progress--and not all of them have to involve the scale. Check out other ways you can measure your progress without the scale--just like the SparkPeople Coaches! |
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