Subj: Are You Making Progress?
Many people who start a fitness program get discouraged early in the process when they don't see the scale moving in the right direction.
And while healthy, sustainable weight loss is a specialty of ours, we also educate our clients from the first day they come in that takes time.
As a general rule, men lose about .056% of body weight per week, while women lose at a bit slower rate (.05% per week). So round numbers, a 150-pound woman would lose an average of .75 pounds per week (if following a well-designed exercise and nutrition program about 80% of the time). That may not seem like much, but it would be considered excellent progress. Thus, a 20-pound weight-loss goal would take approximately 6 months to achieve in a healthy, sustainable way.
But are there other ways to measure progress, other than what the scale says? Of course there are!
-- Body Composition: Weighing 150 pounds at 20% body fat is clearly healthier than weighing 145 pounds at 30% body fat
-- Strength: Increasing your relative strength is one of the single most beneficial things you can do for your health and longevity. Prioritize strength training.
-- Mobility: Becoming more flexible and better able to execute foundational movements with improved range of motion and no pain is going to be incredibly helpful -- both in your workouts, and in your ability to age in a pain-free way.
-- Cardiovascular Health: "Cardio" has gotten a bad name in the fitness industry. It's often presented (i.e. sold) as the best way to "burn fat" by trainers and gyms that don't know their stuff. The best way to burn fat and develop a stronger, leaner, more functional body is to focus on resistance training (i.e. lifting weights), with proper doses of "cardio" sprinkled in throughout the week. Don't avoid cardiovascular training, as it has many health and performance benefits. Just don't overdo it.
What’s one benchmark you can use -- besides the number on the scale -- that would reveal how much progress you’re making? Reply back and let me know.
P.S.: Whenever you're ready... here are 2 ways I can help you:
Train With Me...For FREE. If you'd like to come in for a free training session...1 on 1 or small group...I'd love to have you in as my guest. Training somewhere new can be out of someone's comfort zone, so I want to make it as easy as possible for you to see if this is the best place for you to reach your goals. Just reply with 'Train' in the subject line and we'll figure out what type of session you'd enjoy most and when coming in would be convenient for you.
Join our Small Group Training Program for 50% OFF Your First Month Are you starting to fall behind on your goals? If you stay on track or get on track our small group training program can help you. In our program, you will receive workouts for 2x or 3x week, meal plan blueprint, recipe guide, nutrition guide, and 1:1 coaching weekly. If you'd be interested in our small group training, simply hit reply and put 'Small Group’ in the subject line and I'll get you all the details.
Aaron Hines, Owner-Premier Performance Training M.S. Exercise Physiology ACSM-CPT, NASM-FNS, TRX, TPI-Level 1 & F2, CSAC, Pn1