Objective Measurement
How do you know how healthy you really are? Without an unbiased, objective measurement, you can’t truly know..
I checked my body composition this morning on our InBody machine (a very consistent technology for tracking body composition, i.e., muscle mass, body fat percentage, etc) and realized I had dropped BF %, but with that, had also lost some muscle mass. As far as I knew, I had been doing well workout wise, especially considering the current situation (COVID). However, I needed the data itself to tell me where I really am.
Armed with this information, I know what I need to adjust. For me, it’s going to be tracking my food intake for a week or two and making sure I’m getting the calories and macros I know my body operates best with. Then, I’ll check again in a month or so and see if I’m heading the right direction.
We’re all busy. Each day has been a constant adjustment to what is coming at us. Each of us adapts differently to stress and to the changing environment. We also will mentally compensate and think “everything is okay” even when our bodies’ warning lights are coming on.
It might be poor sleep, lack of physical activity, more stress in relationships or job situations, or simply a loss of focus on your goals that’s creating negative changes. We would all be lying if we didn’t admit that the last few months have been difficult. As I’ve been writing each week, there are simple ways to manage and improve our fitness and overall health in general. Below are a few things you can try, starting today. If you don’t have time, just do one this week and set a reminder in your phone to do it again in a month.
InBody Scan: Check your numbers. Are they going the right direction?
Goal Session: Meet with your Coach, catch up on your goals and ask them for help and accountability. (If you don’t have a personal Coach, grab coffee or call a friend and setup some accountability. Offer to help them, too!)
Macro/Calorie Tracking: Download MyFitnessPal or similar and track your nutrition for a couple weeks. How are you eating? Are you eating enough? Too much? If you need help knowing, Lydia_Wallie@CrossFit925.com can help - we have plans from $39/month, so it’s easily affordable, too.
Work: Are you on track to your goals? Setup a time to meet with your manager and review your progress/performance. Set some new goals!
Hopefully this helps you get back on track. I know I’m looking forward to my own calendar reminder :)
By Ben Tyler, 925 Owner and Head Coach (ben_tyler@crossfit925.com)