So there are few things I dislike more than stepping on the scale. Very few. And the reality is that there are better ways than the scale to determine progress. For example, you can do a fitness test like This one at home. Have a friend or your spouse time you and help you keep count. There are plenty of fitness tests out there. Most of them are very simple and easy to do at home. The only one one you need more for is the mile test. And for that you can head outside or to a treadmill. I suggest doing the same fitness test every 4 to 6 weeks. This will allow you to gauge how far you've come. If it took you twenty minutes to walk that mile and for weeks later it takes 15 minutes then you know you've improved. If 4 weeks after that, you are jogging half that mile instead of walking it - more progress! And depending on the amount of weight you are attempting to lose it may take a little longer than you'd like it to. So lets say you've been at it for 8 weeks and only lost 8 lbs. That's a pound a week and most experts feel the 1-2 lbs a week is a safe and effective way to lost weight. That 10 and 20 lbs you see on The Biggest Loser isn't realistic unless you are on a strict diet and working out for HOURS a day like they do on the ranch. Those who have given interviews after leaving the BL ranch have said they work out up to FOUR hours a day. Each of those "last chance" workouts is usually 2 intense hours. Not to mention they aren't working 40 hours a week and taking care of families. Imagine that you have the chance to only focus on working out - it would be much easier. But for those in the real world, a couple of pounds a week is really a great way to go. And when it slows down, don't get discouraged and give up, dig in and work harder. You may need to review your diet or change up your exercise routine. You may need to add weight training to your cardio or cardio to your weight training. Both are important. And if you're working out for twenty minutes 3 days a week, bump it up to thirty min 4 days a week if you can.
That's all for this post - I'm going to leave you with a few motivational pics from the web!
Be healthy - Be happy! (sure I borrowed the line from the Cheerios bee but its a good one!)
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