PERRY BUCHANAN: What gets measured gets managed

Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone and your New Year’s resolutions have been made, but will you stick with your nutrition plan and exercise program? Do you have a plan of action? The simple fact is that it’s challenging to begin and adhere to an exercise program for an extended period of time. For whatever reason, one of the most difficult and important aspects of a fitness program is staying motivated and on track. Each individual is motivated by different factors and circumstances, and the key is to discover what those variables are.

People can accomplish almost anything if they are motivated enough. But what does it take to reach that level of motivation? It starts with a positive, optimistic attitude and a belief system. If you believe you can do something, you will feel better about yourself, and be more likely to achieve it. If, on the other hand, you don’t start with the right mindset, you can have a difficult time staying motivated. Other factors that may influence your levels of motivation include the level of enjoyment regarding the exercise program, and the confidence you have in the program. Support from friends and family can also be vitally important in staying motivated. You are ultimately responsible for your success or failure, but your motivation will be greatly increased if you have a strong support system.

Goal-oriented behavior is generally broken down into two types or forms: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual. When someone is intrinsically motivated, they are doing something because they want to do it. The behavior provides them with enjoyment or satisfaction. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside influences. Behaviors are exhibited in order to obtain a reward or to avoid punishment. Individuals may have a tendency toward one or the other, but everyone is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Motivation will fluctuate through the course of a program. In the beginning, you may need more extrinsic motivation, such as having a desire to lose ten pounds. Once exercise becomes a habit and you start enjoying it more you will develop a new mindset. If you are still on a program one year down the line, you are likely motivated by more intrinsic factors, such as self-satisfaction.

There are countless factors that increase motivation, but one of the most important factors of all is staying accountable through review and evaluation. Accountability is the ultimate key to sticking with it. Keeping track of your daily nutrition and exercise by tracking calories and writing down your sets and reps in a workout journal may seem tedious, but journaling has been shown to help you reach your goals faster. Many apps or online calorie counters make is easy to tally your daily totals. Apps like My Fitness Pal are preloaded with nutritional databases, so you can look up thousands of food items and easily track your calories and macronutrients. Studies show that participants who journal their actions and results are far more successful than those that don’t. Technology now offers many more ways for us to track our fitness progress.

The ACSM Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends recently reported wearable technology as the number one emerging trend for 2016, with the market to approach $6 billion dollars in the coming year. This includes self-monitoring devices such as pedometers, calorie trackers, and heart-rate monitors, as well as GPS tracking devices and smart watches. Fitness and activity trackers like those from Garmin, Jawbone and Fitbit have become increasingly popular. The newly released Apple Watch is predicted to sell more than 485 million devices by 2018. These devices provide people with concrete feedback and can be great external motivators. They provide an objective means to see how hard someone is working, and a tangible way to measure progress.

Popularity notwithstanding, are these devices accurate? A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise was conducted with five of the most popular devices. Researchers found that the tracking devices had the greatest margin of error during resistance training. They were much more accurate at estimating caloric expenditure during sedentary activity and cardiovascular exercise.

Whether you use the latest gizmo or just stick to the tried and true method of putting pen to paper, start tracking your actions and results. The simplest way to get started is by asking yourself what you hope to accomplish and why it is important to you. This will help you discover what your true motivations are. By determining what your needs are and the motivation behind them, you will be able to keep on track to fulfill all your resolutions. Happy New Year!

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at [email protected]. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.