“That which gets measured, gets managed.”

-Peter Drucker

Most of us have fitness goals of some sort.

Perhaps we want to make our legs stronger, lose 25 pounds, increase our cardio endurance, or improve our flexibility.

While we all have wishes, a wish is just a dream, unless there is an action plan that comes along with it.

 

“I want to lose 25 pounds” isn’t an action plan, it’s an end goal.

The question remains – what are the daily steps you will take in order to inch closer to your end goal each day?

 

However, the argument can be made that tracking a few metrics consistently throughout the process can ensure you stay on track, and not stray too far. Our fat loss clients lose weight and gain strength methodically, week in and week out, with very few bumps in the road.

One of the biggest reasons for this success is our attention to detail, and the tracking of 5 different fitness metrics. We use this data to guide our decision making process.

 

We don’t alter our diet based on our emotions. We don’t change our programs because we “feel like it”. We make business decision with our bodies, our health, and our physiques, and data drives those business decisions.

There are 5 main metrics we track, and we encourage you to do the same if you want to get the most out of your results in 2024.

The 5 Fitness Metrics You Should Be Tracking Closely

Metric #1:  Your Calories

Yes, there’s more to fat loss than just calories, but calories are still the MAIN driver of fat loss.

Tracking your calories opens your eyes and makes you realize when you’re snacking mindlessly.

It also shows you just how calorically dense a lot of processed foods are (and even some natural foods – peanut butter, anyone?).

 

There are people who will tell you tracking your food intake is “excessive” and/or “obsessive”. This makes no sense logically.

If we want to improve our finances, we make a budget and track our income and expenses.

If we want to reduce the number of speeding tickets we get, we look at our speedometers and ensure we aren’t driving too quickly.

If we’re having issues losing weight, calories should be looked at first and foremost, over all else.

 

Estimating isn’t good enough, either. Studies have consistently shown we underestimate how many calories we eat by as much as 50%. Meaning, if we think we’re eating 2,000 calories per day, odds are good it’s more like 3,000.

The purpose of counting calories isn’t to count calories forever.

The purpose of counting calories is to learn how calorically dense some foods are, and learn what an “every day choice” is versus a “once in awhile” choice versus a “once in a blue moon” choice when it comes to food.

 

Everyone should take a good 30 days and track every single calorie they come across. Weigh your meats/whole foods. Use the measuring cups and spoons to be sure. You will learn an incredible amount about food, your energy needs, and what you’re putting in your body.

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Metric #2:  Your Protein Grams

If you’re not tracking your protein grams, you’re not eating enough of it.

This is nearly a universal truth. I’ve been coaching people through fitness transformations for over a decade; I have yet to meet someone who wasn’t tracking their protein who wasn’t woefully short in their consumption.

If you’re trying to lose weight, and you DON’T know how much protein you’re getting, you’re dieting on “hard mode”.

 

Protein is the most filling macronutrient.

Protein helps to boost your metabolism.

Protein helps to maintain your muscle when dieting.

Protein helps give you energy for workouts, and helps you recover more efficiently.

 

Protein is the King of the Macronutrients – for a reason.

 

So, how much protein should you be eating?

The scientific number is “0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass” you have.

 

But calculating that gets tricky, so let’s make it easy for you.

What would you weigh, in pounds, if you were “shredded”?

That means under 10% body fat for men and under 15% body fat for women.

Whatever that number is, eat that much protein (in grams) per day.

 

For me, that’s 225 grams.

If you do this, your hunger will vanish, and your fat loss will explode, almost guaranteed.

 

Metric #3:  Your Bodyweight

Studies show people who track their bodyweight daily end up being healthier over time.

Awareness is KEY, and stepping on the scale each day is a basic form of accountability.

Plus, it tells you what us fitness coaches already know – your scale weight will fluctuate.

 

Your scale weight is a dynamic range, not a static number.

It will bounce around in a 2-5 pound range.

There are days where you’ll nail your diet, and your weight will bounce up 3 pounds.

 

Your scale weight is not a function of your body fat.

Body fat makes up a small fraction of your scale weight, but there are aa myriad of factors which play into your scale weight.

 

Scale weight is a function of:

• Water weight
• Sodium content
• Cellular glycogen
• Meal timing
• Stomach content
• Colon content
• And yes, muscle and body fat

 

Don’t stress when it blips up – instead take weekly averages only and compare them to each other.

THAT’S how you gauge progress…

 

Metric #4:  Your Body Measurements

If all you’re using is the scale, you’re blind to what’s happening to you.

Especially if you’re strength training.

 

We’ve seen people lose 7 inches off their waist in our coaching program, and not lose a pound on the scale.

We’ve seen people GAIN weight, while their waist is melting away.

Each week, we have our clients take body measurements on Monday mornings after they wake up, and before they eat or drink anything. We then compare each week’s numbers to each other to ensure proper progress is being made. (For a full, detailed guide on how we track progress with our clients, click here.)

 

Perhaps that level of detail is too much for you.

But some data should be taken – each week, at least take:

• Waist measurement at your navel
• Chest measurement (flexed at nipples for men, under the armpits for women)
• Hip measurement

Take them every 1-2 weeks… oh, and take them to the nearest 10th of a centimeter.

 

Inches are NOT very accurate: one day us Americans will get with the program and start using the Metric System (don’t hold your breath, though)…

And finally, you need to track…

 

Metric #5:  Your Workouts (reps and weights)

Not sure who needs to hear this, but “muscle confusion” is a myth (thanks, Tony Horton…)

Doing different workouts every few weeks may sound like a fancy way to break through “plateaus” but it’s an awful way to accumulate strength and build/maintain your muscle long term.

 

Stop “winging it” in the gym.

Stop doing whatever sounds “fun”.

Stop making your goal to be “sweaty”, “sore”, or “tired”…

 

Get on a real strength training program, repeat your workouts, track your shit, and try to improve your performance.

And watch your progress explode when you do.

​Tracking workouts shows you in black and white exactly what you got last session.

And it begs you to beat that number.

 

If you’re serious, you’ll write down exactly what you got, and go Beast Mode to beat those numbers next time.

 

Jason Helmes is a former Plymouth-Canton teacher who owns and operates Anyman Fitness out of his Canton home. Anyman Fitness is an online fitness coaching service that helps its clients reach their goals in a simple, straightforward manner. You can contact Jason at jason@anymanfitness.com, or visit his site here  for more information.

 

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