Five indicators of health and fitness progress

When I teach people how to improve their health and fitness, the first step is always to gain some clarity over what exactly they are trying to accomplish. For one person it might mean that they’ll be able to lift grocery bags into their car without help, while for another it could mean completing a half-marathon in record time.

Once the end goal is clear, we can design a plan to get them there and start to focus on specific strategies and daily tasks. The clear vision that they’ve expressed can be viewed as a destination that they want to end up at and the little things that they’ll do on a daily basis as the points on the “road map” to their goal.

This two-step approach involving clarity and strategy makes achieving goals relatively simple. Not easy, but simple, as in “not confusing.” If you do the little things, consistently over time, and keep your eye on the final destination, the most likely outcome will be success.

As simple as this approach might seem, human nature being what it is means that is inevitable that enthusiasm, focus and discipline will wane at times no matter what your desired outcome is. You will be hungry and tired, and the days will sometimes be dark and gloomy along the way.

Because of this, there is a third component to long-term goal achievement that can’t be overlooked. This third piece of the puzzle is the ability to notice positive changes that signal that you are moving in the right direction. Noticing these milestones can mean the difference between staying focused and on task and getting frustrated and quitting what you’ve started.

Here are five indicators that will let you know that you’re “getting there”:

1 Function If you couldn’t carry a load of laundry up the stairs in your home and now you can, you’ve taken a huge step forward in your functional abilities. For everyone it’s different. What would you like to be able to do that you can’t do now?

2 Numbers There are several health and fitness measures that are assigned a number. Things like blood pressure, resting heart rate, submaximal exercising heart rate, range of motion assessments, number of repetitions performed of specific exercises, body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, pounds lifted, total cholesterol numbers, “good” vs. “bad” cholesterol percentages, etc. Seeing a measurable improvement is extremely motivating and uplifting. What numbers would you like to improve?

3 Clothing One of the best indicators of fitness improvement is how your clothes are fitting. As you become leaner and more toned, your percentage of lean muscle will increase and body fat will decrease. This change is visible and noticeable in the way that you feel — especially in the way that your clothes feel on your body. For men, it’s most noticeable around the waist, while women tend to feel it more in the hips. Personally, I have a pair of cycling shorts that are tight when I let myself go and slide on easily when I am in really great shape. They are my personal fitness measurement tool! 4 Pain Many people come to see me when they are in pain. Exercise can be a very effective tool for managing a variety of conditions that lead to pain in the back, knees, hips and shoulders. The journey from injury or dysfunction to feeling and moving great can be long and, occasionally, frustrating. Reduced — or absent — pain levels are an indication that something positive is happening and that you should keep doing it.

5 Outlook Granted, it’s hard to measure “outlook,” but it is an intangible that just starts to get better as you stand up straighter, breathe easier and move better. When these things start happening, most people begin noticing that they’ll plan trips or events that they wouldn’t have dreamed of in the past. The future just looks brighter and something to look forward to with anticipation, not dread.