Fitness Formation column

Ryan Donohue.
Ryan Donohue.

When people set out on their fitness journey, they often neglect one of the most important and motivating factors of success.

They fail to track, and measure. If you lack patience, motivation or self control you need to do this.

If you cant measure it, you can’t manage it, as the saying goes.

When we change bad habits, and learn good habits, this takes a significant amount of time. Sometimes it can take months before you see substantial change.

By this time, you’ve given up. Tracking and measuring will help to keep you focused on your ‘vision’.

Online tracking enables you to keep all your data in one handy, and more often than not, always at hand device. It charts your data, and shows you your success in the blink of an eye, much more easily than pen and paper. You can access it at any time, anywhere. We can use it for all elements of our lifestyle.

If you are a techno-phobe, there is the trusty, old journal. Write down your goals, your progress, and your success. Keep it handy, and update it just as much as someone who is using an on-line method.

Tracking, and measuring will provide you with motivation when you can easily access your progress. If you are lacking motivation, have a look back at your data, and let it serve as a reminder that you have had success, and you will again.

It serves as a visual reminder that you are taking steps forward. Join an on-line group, if you’re tracking that way. You can connect with like-minded people who share the same goals as you.

It offers accountability. Having it in front of you in black and white will massively increase the chances of you sticking to your program and being consistent.

It won’t lie to you. If you tell yourself that you’ve done this, and that when the reality is that you haven’t, your tracker will tell you otherwise.

As we’ve said before, celebrate success. You’ll see it more clearly, when its written down. By this we don’t mean splurging on a full box of chocolates. Make sure it benefits you, and not hinders you. Buy yourself a new training top for example.

Celebrating success lets you know that what you are doing really is worth while, but do so with a little bit of forward thinking.