Keeping Score

Keeping Score
When you begin to exercise and change your eating habits
there will be no way to know if you are making progress
without first finding a way to keep score. You need to have
a means of measuring the effectiveness of what you are
doing. Otherwise you will never know if what you are doing
is really working.

There are a variety of ways to honestly evaluate your
progress. For instance the good old-fashioned bathroom
scale is a great scorekeeper.

The day you begin your new fitness lifestyle, write down
your weight on the calendar. Then once a week weigh
yourself again and write that weight on the calendar. Now
you have a reference point. You'll be able to see if you've
made any progress in weightloss over the course of the
week. Always be sure to weigh at the same time of the day.
Your bodyweight fluctuates throughout the day based upon
your level of hydration. I like to weigh first thing in the
morning before I have anything to eat or drink.

Along with the bathroom scale, a full-length mirror
combined with a hand held mirror is another great score
keeping tool. Simply strip down to your birthday suit and
stand in front of the mirror. DO NOT SUCK IN YOUR GUT! Do
not try to make yourself look better. Simply stand the way
you normally stand. Soak it in...and then be honest about
what you see. Turn to the side. Turn your back to the
mirror and use the hand held mirror to check out the rear
view. Get those images imbedded in your mind. Then be
honest. What do you think about the way you've been caring
for your earth suit?

A long honest look in the mirror could be all the
motivation you need to start making some positive changes.

A camera is one of the best score keepers of all because it
causes you to see yourself differently than you would by
simply looking at a mirror. One moment frozen in time
speaks volumes.

Get someone you trust to take pictures for you as you begin
your program. Wear as little clothing as possible for the
pictures. Take front shots, side shots, and rear shots.
Date the pictures and then file them away. After working
out consistently for 2 or 3 months take them out and give
them a look. Then take a new set of pictures, date them and
file them with the others. This will be the best way to
chart your progress. (Thank God for digital cameras. Now
you can take the scary "before" pictures without having to
have them developed!)

I don't know about you, but if I am trying to make progress
in any area of life, I want to do what works. If what I am
doing isn't working, then I want to make adjustments until
I get the desired results.

The only way to know if what you are doing is working is to
HONESTLY track your progress.

Someone once said that the simplest definition of insanity
is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting to
see different results. Don't be insane! Be wise. Be honest.
Make the commitment to get the results you want and then do
what you have to do to get them.

Change is never easy, but by the grace of God, you can do
it.

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James Flanders is a lecturer and teacher with a passion for
helping others get fit spiritually and physically. His DVD
"Make The World Your Gym" and CD "Eat, Drink, Move,
Breathe" are available at: http://www.weightlessfitness.com/