When it comes to measuring how you’re doing on the fitness front, what you’ve probably heard is that weighing yourself or using a tape measure to determine your girth are good ways to track your “progress” toward fitness goals. Well, as a personal trainer and health coach, I have indeed used these techniques to first determine where individuals are, where they’re starting on their fitness journey with me, and secondly, on a periodic basis after that to assess how far we’ve come. But these measurements are not necessarily outcomes of our true goals. If I work with someone who wasn’t exercising at all before coming to me, and whose weight and girth have hardly changed over the course of a month, but who has exercised by walking three times a week for four weeks straight, is that a win? You bet it is! That’s what will get you to personal growth and continued fitness improvement. The measurements are a byproduct of the habits you create and carry out.
Measure Actions, Not Outcomes for Personal Growth