Mikey Moon's health and fitness column: Scales not only way to measure progress

Weight can be affected by all sorts of different factors – water retention, stress, toilet habits, time of day, menstrual cycle etc...

Because weight can be affected by a lot of factors out of our control, sometimes it is not the best measure of progress week on week.

Here are five things you can focus on that aren’t based on the scales.

Are you stronger? If you are stronger, chances are you have been building muscle. More muscle means that you become more efficient at burning fat.

And muscle is a leaner tissue than fat, so the more muscle you build the better your physique will be.

Are you fitter? Can you do more than last month?

This is a good indicator that you are progressing on your fitness journey. The goal should always be to get fitter.

Are you sleeping better? Chances are with your nutrition being on point and workouts being good, then you will be able to sleep better at night. Sleep is the best recovery tool there is, so make sure you get plenty.

Do you have more energy? Fitter and healthier people generally have more energy throughout the day.

This is a good indicator of good nutrition and overall health improvements.

Do you feel better? All of these lead into you feeling better.

Sometimes the scales won’t change and that’s okay.

If you continue to feel better each week, then you will start to exercise for the right reasons in terms of how it makes you feel.

Once you start enjoying the feeling of exercise, you will stick to it for longer, then your weight will take care of itself.

The scales aren’t everything.

Fortitude Fitness is on the Poulton Industrial Estate, Beacon Road. Visit www.fortitudefit.co.uk for more details.

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