“I want to lose weight!” Without a doubt these 5 words are the single biggest reason for people starting a new exercise program. This is absolutely fine! It’s a great goal if that’s what motivates you to continue training and create a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

Weight alone however, is not always the best method for measuring your success! Sure it works on The Biggest Loser, but unless you’re in that extremely obese category, training 36 hours a week and living in a mansion with trainers and dieticians following you around, you need to consider a few other options when tracking your results.

You see, the scales won’t always show kilos lost just because you went to the gym a few times this week, and this could be for several reasons:
1) You have gained muscle – particularly if you are taking up resistance training
2) You have weighed yourself at a different time of day this week – the best time to weigh yourself is always first thing in the morning with no clothes on and after you have done your business on the loo!
3) Simply because those few hours of training are all you have done this week!

I believe there are far better indicators of how your training is going other than just looking at weight loss. The following are a few simple everyday indicators that you might like to keep track of:

Measurements – Ask your friend, partner or trainer to take measurements from key areas on your body such as chest, waist, hips, thighs and upper arm. Be sure to note the exact point on the body you are measuring so that you get the same spot next time. Freckle or scars are an easy marker to note! Repeat these measurements every 4-6 weeks to track your success.

Clothes – The absolute easiest way to tell if you are changing your body shape is by the way your clothes fit. When you start realising that your jeans slip on more easily, your shirts are looser fitting, and you actually have to tie the drawstring on your pants to stop them falling down. There is no better motivating factor than seeing things you haven’t been able to wear for years start slipping on with ease!

How you feel – Everybody who begins an exercise program feels better about themselves. You gain confidence, your energy levels sky rocket, your brain becomes sharper and quicker than ever, your coordination is superb, and you have a greater respect for yourself. This is fact! I guarantee people will notice this side of you before anything else!

Now let’s look at ensuring you get results across all of these categories.

Don’t be one of those people that believe you will get miracle results by spending an hour or two at the gym or boot camp each week. Don’t get me wrong, 2000 calories burnt at boot camp is a hell of a start, but if you then go and eat 2500 calories over the next couple of days, all that hard work is undone!

Make some easy lifestyle changes. Many small steps will lead to big results!
• Take the stairs in your office instead of the lift.
• Park as far away from the shopping centre entrance as you can and walk that extra distance.
• When printing at work walk to the machine and collect each copy at a time, rather than letting them build up over the day and getting them all at once.
• Replace one bad meal a day with something healthier like fruit, vegies or a protein shake.
But most importantly of all, make sure you get out 5-6 times a week for a solid 30-45 minutes walking, cycling or running. Or if you go to the gym or to boot camp, walk on your off days. Make it brisk so that you speed your heart rate up. Combine the walking, the two hours of gym or boot camp, and the small lifestyle changes, and you have guaranteed success! It is then that you will see results in your clothes, with your measurements, how you are feeling, and on the scales!

So go on, get up and start your new lifestyle!