Today, I’ve been thinking about starting new health plans and how we do it, so I want to talk a bit about the programme material that comes with every plan and programme you might be following. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Beachbody. If you’re with Slimming World or WW, doing Couch to 5K or have picked up an exercise DVD, they all have some kind of getting started / quick start guide. Some have more than that, but the getting started guide is probably the most important because it lays out what you can expect from your programme, and what is expected of you.

And they all have some kind of measurement tracker, yet you’re not all using it. Weighing yourself is all fine and dandy, but the scales are only one bit of information. Your tape measure is another. I remember doing one programme that had me weighing 4lbs more at the end than when I started. I also dropped a dress size. So when you get caught up on the number on the scales, that’s why I ask you what your tape measure says.

These measurements are all just information, and whether you’re weighing every day (like our 2B Mindset folks) or monthly (as on the Ultimate Portion Fix), or you’re paying someone to weigh you every week (like SW / WW), they need to be taken. Because what we measure, we improve.

So get your programme guides out and get your measurements recorded. And then take your pictures. Full length, front, back, and both sides. In your workout gear or clothes that definitely show your shape. And take them at least once a month. You probably have a camera with a timer on it, so do what I do. Set it up and run backwards and forwards taking the shots. It all adds to your step count anyway. Because when you don’t feel like you’re making progress (and we all feel like that sometimes), you’ll be able to see that you are.