Track Your Progress!

Focus on 1-2, and then focus on more. When tracking progress, following a few considerations can rapidly improve your health and the benefits of exercise.

1. Strength in almost any workout program is considered a given. By lifting weights 2x per week, you will get stronger and see the benefits in everyday activity. If you feel weak, getting stronger is actually one of the simplest and easiest goals, so have great confidence in that happening.

2. Balance when you walk and move means that your body is functioning better. By getting rid of weak spots and imbalances, falls and poor movement decrease. Work to eliminate weak spots and get stronger in all movements. These improvements will make you feel better and be more confident.

3. Mobility is a way to move better and get rid of tight spots to protect muscles and joints. Knowing your posture has improved and that you look better is a huge confidence boost from strength training. Simple corrective exercises, get you more upright in your stance and work on the hip and lower back tightness that almost every adult experiences.

4. Knowing your body composition and VAT (Visceral Adipose Tissue) instead of getting on the dreaded scale is another benefit of truly knowing and tracking fitness progress. Improving body composition, which means reducing body fat while maintaining or increasing muscle, is the biggest goal with exercise and strength training.

5. With blood tests, the fact is, most doctors do not go deep enough into what they track. At a minimum, knowing all your cholesterol numbers (more than just HDL and LDL), as well as A1C and fasting glucose numbers are a pretty good place to start. Approach this with your doctor as blood markers will tell the story of your health progress with strength training, regular cardio exercise and improving nutrition.

6. More energy is a subjective measure, but also one of the first and most notable results of starting an appropriate exercise program. Do you pay attention to how you feel throughout the day - getting out of bed, in the middle of the afternoon, after a long day, when it’s time to unwind? If not, this is a great way to start tracking your energy level.

7. Sleep is considered a foundation of health and longevity. It can take some work and consideration as well as progress over time to improve this healthy habit. Things like a quiet, dark room, adjusting caffeine intake and being able to wind down all promote healthier sleep. It’s worth the effort and will dramatically aid your improvement in body composition and strength.

8. Mental health can be tough, so from an exercise point, accept that you will feel good after a workout. Whether it’s endorphins or releasing some stress, it doesn't matter. Movement can be super reliable to improve your mood - in fact, for many, this can be the best benefit to exercise, which is also very underrated. Workouts keep us all a little more sane! Tie that back to the benefits above, and you have winning combinations all the way around.