Almost 6 weeks ago, I suggested that you should find the perfect plan for you and start working on your Beach body which I really hope you did. Whether you got your plan from Beachbody.com, started working out at home or subscribed to the gym next-door , whatever you decided to do, you need to make sure that you still want it bad enough. This is how to make sure you are doing it right and how to stay motivated to get a perfect body.
Let me show you how you can track your progress:
Take pictures (visual) : Track your progress. On a weekly basis, you should take shots of your body to know how much you are improving, Even if you don’t “feel” in shape trust me you’re getting there! Taking pictures will definitely help you see the transformation and see how you’re doing every week. Most importantly you will get to do the whole “before and after” thing, which will always help you to stay motivated.
Check the Scale (Technical) : it depends on which plan you’re following, whether its the weight loss or building muscles plan. You need to understand that each plan is completely different. However, it is important to weigh yourself once a week to see where you stand. One of the most important things you need to know is, if your weight doesn’t change on the scale it might be that your losing fat but at the same time gaining muscle, which is completely normal. Also, there is that one mistake that many people make: NOT knowing when they should weigh themselves. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning on a scheduled day every week to avoid variation.
Tape-measure yourself: You are actually re-shaping your body, so even if the scale doesn’t change, and even if you can’t notice the difference in your weekly pictures. Numbers don’t lie. This is why you should tape measure your body, mainly focus on your body type, which parts you want to re-shape and which exercises you are doing.
Know your body Fat: As I have already mentioned, sometimes you might not be losing fat; this is why you should know the body-fat percentage in your body. There are two different methods: using a skin fold caliper or through Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA).
Finally, this is how to stay motivated:
Remember your achievements: Of course, after six weeks, you started noticing some change in your body and felt good, but remember you worked really HARD to reach this stage, so don’t ruin it by cheating meals or skipping exercises.
Remember your goal: You might have reached a good stage in the transformation; however, you should remember your goal; you wanted something better than that don’t just settle with what you’ve reached.
Make it a habit: Exercising should be a part of your daily life. It is something truly important, something you can’t skip just because you are feeling exhausted or not in the mood.
Enjoy exercising: In order to make exercising part of your daily life, you need to enjoy doing it. Listen to music, go to the gym with a partner. Whatever you choose to pick remember to have fun exercising so that you won’t get bored at some point.
Want it bad enough?: Remind yourself that it is all going to pay off someday. The sweat and the pain will result to that perfect body you have always wanted.