You've been hitting the gym and staying on track with your diet. But what tools should you be using to judge your progress? Allen Rostovich, who’s a certified National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Personal Trainer says there are really four things you should use to track your transformation. First up, the scale.
"The scale is a good tool to use. I used to tell my clients don't worry about the scale but the scale does tell a story, because if your weight is moving down that means we're losing body weight - we don’t know if that’s muscle or fat yet - but if the scale is going up it tells you that you're overeating and you're gonna have to lower those calories," Rostovich said.
Rostovich says pick a day to weigh yourself and do it weekly. Also take measurements of your neck, waist, chest, hips, your right bicep and right quad once a week.
"Measurements will tell your body composition, so if your waist is going lower is it going down, then you're losing fat in your waist. Are your hips going down? Well, you're losing fat in your hips," explains Rostovich.
Then every month, take pictures so you can clearly see your changes.
"We take front, side and back pictures in something comfortable, something you can see results in, because it’s going to show a difference and those are very important for your mind and to keep you honest."
And finally, use your own clothes.
"Your clothes tell you everything you need to know as well. If your clothes are fitting tighter something's going on, if your clothes are fitting loser something's going on," Rostovich says.
According to Rostovich, these tools used together will help you see your progress but the BEST way to see results is to be honest with yourself.
"So take everything into consideration. The scale, the measurements, the pictures because pictures don't lie, the mirror because the mirror doesn't lie, your clothes don't lie you have to be honest with yourself and move forward or stay the same but be honest with yourself, please."
About Allen Rostovich:
Allen Rostovich is a certified National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Personal Trainer with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. A Fitness Nutrition Specialist Certification from NASM is his primary focus because he firmly believes nutrition is the first priority in attaining better health and wellbeing. He has been a trainer at The Field House Gym in Temple since 2013 working with individuals with various medical conditions and physical goals ranging in age from teenagers to the young at heart. At an early age, Allen participated in multiple sports with baseball being his primary love. Allen realized during his journey that there were no quick fixes to performance, optimal health, and well-being of the mind, body and soul. As a personal trainer, Allen likes to take a fun, positive, educational approach to each individual training session realizing that no two people require the same regimented work-out. His aim is to equip you with not only the skills, but also the knowledge of how to reach your fitness and health goals. Allen has tried many "diets" and workout approaches and realized that there is no secret to getting results...every diet works as long as you are committed to the plan. It all comes down to moving the body and supplying the body with appropriate nutrition. Allen lives by the famous words of Hippocrates "let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Allen is committed to your success and will provide not only training in the gym, but also on-line coaching to help you reach your goal. Whether your goal is to be ready for the beach, to compete in sports, and/or to improve your health, Allen's mission is to help guide you through your journey and get you the results you are seeking.