As you establish a routine and focus your emotions on the things you can control (the establishment of the routine, and the efforts you are making), the next step is to begin to measure results.
The intent of measuring results is NOT to judge yourself or undermine the mindset you are working on. It is purely to make this process more scientific and arm yourself with the knowledge you need to get the best results possible.
In the case of working out, there are a few examples of what to do to measure your results:
(1) Regular weigh-ins - Record your weight once or twice per week. Don't get upset if you plateau or gain weight one week. Be proud that you are trying to be informed rather than do this blindly.
(2) Heart Rate Monitor - Absolutely, buy a heart rate monitor. If you are not familiar, these devices strap around the chest and measure your heart rate continuously. Generally they come with a watch that measures workout time, allows setting your weight, and uses the heart rate and weight to come up with an accurate estimate of calories burned during a workout. Understanding the calories burned and how heart rate influences this is essential. You will be able to adjust your workout to do what works best for YOU.
(3) myfitnesspal.com - This website, and the mobile apps for Android, iPhone, etc, allow you to search for various foods and easily track the calories and nutrition facts for the food you consume during the day. It takes some discipline to log in every day and keep the log up to date, but this is an additional exercise in establishing routine. If you use the heart rate monitor, you can enter your exercise calories burned, and truly see the impacts of your eating and exercise choices on your health. Quantifying these things makes the impact of your daily decisions much more understandable.
Remember, the point of monitoring all these things is to establish a routine and to keep yourself informed. You should not push harder unless you feel comfortable doing so.
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