Hopefully, the reason you (or anyone else) joins a gym is to see results. When we sign up for any type of fitness membership we do so with an end goal in mind. We want to lose ‘x’ amount of weight, tone up for the summer, or run our first 5k. The idea of working hard and reach our results are exciting. It gets us out of bed in the morning and keeps us motivated. At least for a week or two . . .
For many people, the motivation to push forward and pursue their goals fades after a couple of weeks. The high of the initial momentum has worn off and we settle in for the long journey again. If you have experienced this before you are not alone and it is not uncommon.
Why does this happen to so many people?
Is it a lack of will?
A lack of accountability?
While these are factors we need to take into consideration we have found that most people quit before they reach their goals because they do not understand how to measure their progress. To understand how to measure progress we first need to understand how long it is going to take us to reach our goals in the first place. The answer varies from person to person and from goal to goal but generally achieving whatever you have set out to achieve takes much longer than people expect.
When new clients come to Arsenal with a goal in mind the first thing we do is figure out where they are starting from. We do this by measuring things like weight, muscle, mass, and body fat percentage. Using this information we can then determine exactly how long it is going to take to get you from point A to point B. No guesswork involved, just hard data.
Once we have a big-picture plan we need to start filling in the gaps. If we know where we want to be in one-year let us figure out where we need to be in one month, three months, six months and so on.
Breaking large goals down like this does two things:
- It makes it easier to understand. The path is laid out in front of us and all we need to do is stay the course.
- Because we have constant check-ins we can constantly measure progress.
What does measuring progress do?
It keeps the fire burning. It keeps us motivated and gives us something to celebrate. We see this all the time with clients. They come in needing to lose 50lbs or more and in the beginning, it can seem like an impossible task. They sign up, work with their trainer, and meet with their nutrition coach to get the ball rolling. On day 30 they are ready for their first check-in and see that they have lost 5lbs of fat in the first month. This is an enormous win and that momentum carries them forward for the next month until their next check-in.
When you find the motivation to begin your journey make sure you have a clear way to prove your progress.