Weight Is Just A Number

Setting Goals

You’ve decided it’s time to make a change. You are probably feeling a little excited, enthusiastic, and maybe a little overwhelmed. I want you to remember something throughout your journey: It is a marathon, not a sprint. This is about learning to live differently. Many clients have short term goals like:

·         Losing weight

·         Gaining weight/muscle

·         Increasing endurance

·         Increasing strength

·         Fitting a certain size of clothing

·         Looking your best for a big event

These are all reasonable goals and you should have one or more of them. But do not let your short term goals affect the big picture. Many clients strive to meet these goals, reach them, and then return to their previous lifestyle only to repeat this process again and again. This yo-yo effect is difficult and demoralizing. I want you to learn to live a healthier lifestyle. You will have different short term goals you set and reach along the way. Ultimately, the goal is to be the happiest, healthiest, best you that you can be.

One thing I tell all my clients is “weight is just a number”. Your body is going to go through many changes relatively quickly once you start exercising. You might find that week after week you are exercising, but you are not losing the amount of weight you would like. This is because you are gaining muscle (which is more dense than fat) while losing fat. Weight is good to keep an eye on but should not be your only gauge for progress. How do you feel? How do you look? Has your waist measurement changed? Has your body fat percentage decreased? Has your exercise routine increased? These are all good ways to track progress.

Assessment

Before I take my clients through any training sessions, I assess their health and fitness level.

Here is a wonderful questionnaire to make sure you are ready to begin exercising:

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/ERQ.html

After you have determined you are able to safely begin exercising, you need to assess your fitness level. This will not only give you a starting point, but also give you a point of reference to track progress. I usually take my clients through more extensive testing but these are three easy tests that can be done at home and by yourself to find out where you stand:

·         Aerobic Test

·         Muscle Strength & Endurance Test

·         Flexibility Test

You may be fitter than you thought. That’s great! You may be less fit than you thought, and that’s fine too. The point is you are aware, you have a place to start and you just completed your first work out! Record your results. You will want to keep track of all of your workouts whenever possible. This will help you track progress and remember what you have done recently.