Is Your Fitness Regime Effective? Here's the Answer

Have you recently started a new fitness regime but are unsure as to whether it's working? Read on to learn some simple ways to set goals, track your progress and know exactly how effective your workouts are.

1: Determine Your Goals

You can't manage what you can't measure. What are you hoping to achieve from your fitness regime? Do you want to lose weight? Build muscle tone? Increase cardiovascular fitness? Think about what it is you want to improve.

2: Record Your Starting Point

To create an effective plan of action, you need to know where you're starting from. Let's take weight loss as an example. Record your starting weight so that you have a number to work from.

3: Set An Achievable Goal

Continuing with our weight loss example, determine how much weight you want to lose and by when. Then divide the amount of weight loss required by the amount of time you have given yourself. So, if you have 12lbs to lose and you want to lose it in two months, that would be a weight loss goal of 1.5lbs per week. This is an achievable goal, and you now have a number to track.

4: Decide How You Will Achieve It

Set your dietary and fitness regime for the duration and schedule your workouts and meal planning and prep into your diary. You are much more likely to stick to it if you have it planned and scheduled in advance.

5: Measure Your Progress

It is important to do this at the same time each week. With our weight loss example, weigh yourself each week at the same time of day. This will help with accurate tracking. Once you have your first week's results, you can see if your efforts have been successful. If they have, continue what you are doing. If they haven't, then take the opportunity to tweak your diet and fitness regime. Add in another two cardio sessions and reduce your alcohol intake, for example. If you combine your goal tracking with a food journal, the results will be even better as you will see where you can improve on your diet to help you reach your goals.

6: Keep Going!

Your results will vary from week to week, especially if you are a woman because your monthly cycle plays a huge part in your weight, energy, mood, and water retention. So, if you don't see the results you are looking for straight away, don't be disheartened. Keep tweaking and moving forward, with concentrated effort and a positive mental attitude, you will reach your goals. Most of all, enjoy your fitness regime, it will be much more effective if you do.