Every-so-often my personal trainer asks me, “How do you feel about your progress so far?” Of course, this is my virtual trainer through a Wii program I use, but I still appreciate the question because it causes me to take a step back and really think about how far I have come and how far I have to go.
Measuring progress will depend on your goals. Sometimes when I think about progress, I think about the weight I have lost. Other times I think about the changes in the way I feel about myself overall. Or even the amount of energy I have.
What is progress to one person may not be to another. Or what is important in considering progress to one person may be different than another.
But I think it’s still an important thing to address. This allows you the chance to get real with yourself.
For instance, in the physical aspect, I haven’t been feeling very good about my progress. But when I take time to think about why, I realize it’s because I have been inconsistent with my workouts.
So that means I have the power to change things. I can speed up my progress by remaining consistent.
In other aspects, I do feel good about my progress. For instance, my struggles with backaches aren’t an issue because I do exercise. Granted, I do skip some days but what I am doing is enough to relieve me of the back pain. So that is a great motivator.
Considering your progress helps you to see where you need work, where you have been doing well and if you need to make some adjustments. You may need to amp things up, or you may even need to change things up.
Take time this week to really think about your progress on a variety of levels. Think about your weight, inches, energy level, general health, emotional well-being and anything else that pertains to your personal fitness goals.
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Photo by elleinad in Flickr