Beyond the Scale: 7 Ways to Measure Your Fitness Progress

Stepping onto the scale is a sure-fire way to see if you've gained or lost weight, but because your fitness encompasses so much more than weight, a scale isn't always the best tool. The numbers on a scale can be misleading too. You could wind up frustrated and ill-informed if the numbers don't reflect what you think they should.  And even if you're happy with the number on the scale, your weight is no guarantee that you are physically fit.  Get the real skinny on your fitness with these 7 additional ways to measure your progress.

1. Medical Markers: Hey, we all want to look great in our jeans, but true fitness is more important than vanity; it is about true health. Make an appointment with your doctor to determine your resting heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Schedule a follow-up appointment for at least 90 days after you begin exercising consistently.  After that, checking out these numbers annually will keep you on track.
2. Clothing Size: Anyone who has struggled with weight gain has gone through that confidence-shattering moment - that tidal wave of self-loathing - when you wriggle into a pair of pants that used to fit and you can no longer button them up. On the flip side is that moment of triumph when a dress that was once too small fits again.  How your clothes fit and how you feel in them are important indicators of your progress and are arguably tied more closely to your sense of confidence than any other metric.
3. Endurance:  Last month you couldn't jog down the street without panting like a dog and collapsing from a side stitch. This week, you can make it around the block.  When you are able to add time and/or distance to your training, it proves that your body is getting more efficient, you are getting stronger, and your training is accomplishing what you intended.
4. Strength: Stronger muscles are a good thing. Not only do you get attractive muscle tone, but more muscle mass increases your metabolism, improves balance and stability, decreases your risk of osteoporosis, and improves your overall body mechanics.  When you're able to do more repetitions of a strength training exercise or increase the amount of weights you can use, you've got something worth celebrating.  Track your progress so you can look back and see your improvements.
5. Body Fat Percentage: Because people who replace fat with lean muscle mass can actually gain weight, it's important to track your body fat percentage rather than just look at the number on a scale.  There are several ways to measure your body fat percentage, such as BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) devices that estimate body tissue makeup through electrical current, calipers that measure subcutaneous fat, hydrostatic weighing, which calculates body mass based on water displacement, and BOD POD, which calculates body mass based on air displacement.  While BIA scales and devices and skinfold calipers are affordable and easy to use, they are not always accurate.  Hydrostatic weighing and BOD POD offer much more accurate results, but tests can be expensive and not available in all locations.
6. Visual Observation: Is there a shadow of a muscle on your bicep? Is your waist trimming down? Actually seeing changes in your body - and being complimented on them by others - is one of the most rewarding parts of getting fit.  Don't forget that body transformations require consistency and never happen overnight. It takes about four weeks of consistent effort for you to notice the earliest changes, about eight weeks for your close friends and family to notice, and twelve weeks for everyone else to notice.  Take a weekly picture in your workout clothes once a week so you can compare the changes over time.
7. Measurements: Most people seek fitness to change the shape of their body - to whittle their waist, build up their biceps, or reduce their derriere. Your measurements will show you exactly how and where your body is changing - something the scale cannot do.  As you drop fat and build muscle, the number on the scale might not change a whole lot, but these numbers don't lie.  For the most accurate results, measure your waist, hips, neck, chest, thighs, and biceps, then take those measurements two more times.  Average all three. Chart your measurements weekly to see your progress.