Are pictures the only way?

Are pictures the only way to measure your fitness progress?

Not at all. Pictures are a great tool but they also have many limitations. Even if you don’t mind stripping down to underwear or a swim suit there are the issues of recreating the same conditions. Do you have someone you are comfortable with who can take a quality shot from the same angle and distance? If not, do you have a tripod and a camera that has a delay feature?

Let’s say you have all of that in order, do you have the ability to recreate the same lighting conditions? Do not get me wrong, I am not discouraging taking progress pictures. They can be a useful tool for assessing how you’ve done with an exercise and diet program. I am simply pointing out the potential difficulties.

What are your alternatives?

Let’s start with the obvious; a mirror. A mirror is similar to photographs in the sense that you are looking at yourself. However, you will likely see yourself in a mirror multiple times per day. This has several disadvantages. Even if you are making progress, it will be impossible to see from one hour to the next. Further, your mood as you look in the mirror has an effect on how you interpret what you see. Taking pictures weeks or months apart often allows for a more objective look at your progress. However, knowing the limitations can help you to approach the mirror more methodically. Aside from normal grooming, refrain from observing yourself in a mirror too often. When you do, treat it methodically as you would taking pictures.

Another alternative is measurements. It is important to start any fitness journey from a baseline. You should know your weight, resting heart rate, waist measurement and hip measurements. These very basic measurements can give you a good indicator of your general health, risk for disease and level of abdominal fat. Almost irrespective of your goals, you should see improvements in these measurements over time. Do they have limitations? Of course. Weight can be tricky because often times someone who is beginning a weight training routine will build some muscle while they lost some fat. The result may be a scale weight that is identical even though their body composition has improved! Similarly, hip measurement may remain similar as you strengthen the muscles of the thigh and butt while simultaneously losing fat around the hips.

A third alternative is to have one or two people you trust to give you feedback. This can be a double edged sword though, because the people you trust are also likely people you are fairly close to. They may not want to hurt your feelings if you are not making progress and then you have a false sense of how you are doing. Or, if they are too honest with you, you may be hurt and it could ruin a relationship. Be careful with this one.

What I honesty like is to have several articles of clothing that you are very familiar with. You know how they feel, where they are tight, where they are loose. You know them inside and out and you will know if they change. Along with that, is a belt; you know you have been on the 3rd hole in your belt for the last 6 months. Any changes to your clothing or belt size will be an indicator of which way you are heading.

So what do we do with all of these potential methods?

The best thing to do is to try and look at the whole picture (pun intended). Do not weigh (another intended pun) any one of these methods too much, integrate them into a total assessment of yourself.

And do not forget to review how you are doing with your workouts. And do not discredit your feelings. I’ve had many clients tell me that they felt great once they start eating better and working out. It is hard to put a price tag on feeling great!

If you are consistently improving in the gym, getting stronger, having better cardiovascular endurance and you feel great, does it matter if you can’t tell from a picture if there was improvement?