How Selfies Can Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals
You probably think selfies have a special place in the blazing pits of Mordor, but don’t stoop to them. It is actually a very useful weight loss tool to measure progress and keep you motivated.
There are a number of reasons why people stop playing sports , and this is understandable. Fitness is hard work , simple and straightforward. While working at Bodybuilding.com and talking to a variety of fitness trainers, I have noticed that people can easily get frustrated with a lack of visible progress. They might think, “ What’s the point in that? , ”And angrily surrender . If they just regularly took a few selfies with the bathroom mirror, or snapped pictures of progress (every 2-4 weeks or so), they would be fully aware of how much progress they have actually made. (This even works for non-fitness activities! )
Whether you are looking to lose fat or gain muscle mass , these selfies will keep you on track and keep you motivated even if you think nothing is working. That’s why:
This is a good way to visually track progress.
When most people think about tracking weight loss or weight gain, they instinctively turn to precise numbers, such as body weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and many others. All of these metrics are useful, but the numbers tell only part of the story . At least when it comes to physique, numbers are often poor at predicting physical appearance. For example, a person weighing 140 pounds and 10% fat will be very different from someone who weighs 175 pounds with the same percentage of body fat.
An image adds a valuable and often extremely honest visual element to your data. This gives you a much better idea of what your body looks like, as in most cases, people who are looking to lose weight (or gain weight) are more likely to want a certain look, not just a number. Plus, if you’re happy with the way you look, it saves you the obsession of chasing arbitrary body measurements .
They set the starting point
Q: If you went somewhere and just started walking for an hour or so, how would you know how far you actually went if you didn’t know where you started?
That’s right: you don’t know at all. It’s the same with fitness: you need to establish a starting point.
This gives you a foundation for aesthetic fitness goals. It is important. There will inevitably be days in two, six, or 12 weeks where you would rather lose yourself in a Breaking Bad marathon than ever step into the gym again, or you may doubt that some of the things you are doing , matters because you don’t feel differently and you don’t see the changes in the mirror.
It is in these moments of hazy, you can pull out these photos to see exactly how far you have come, and how far you really have. When you see real progress, you are more likely to stick with it and stay loyal .
Since I’m in the midst of my own journey to get leaner, I often think that progress isn’t happening fast enough, or worse, at all . Then I turn to a photo I took four months earlier and I feel dizzy with excitement about my noticeable improvements (hey, I have abs!) That the mirror seems to mask day after day. It just goes to show that when all of the other progress indicators seem to contradict you, these selfies can be your lifesaver.
They make a good transformation story.
At some point, you’ve probably read or at least heard about the amazing weight loss story of a man who lost 100 pounds ( and in some cases more than 350 pounds ). Remember the thrill you got when you saw their dramatic before and after photos? This would not have happened if this person had not taken pictures.
The point is, struggles, groundbreaking discoveries, the daily work of cooking and training, and your selfies all help tell the story of your transformation and, in turn, affect someone’s life.
Even if you think you have reached the pinnacle of your own fitness nirvana, you will be surprised at how much progress and change you can continue to make over the years. However, you will only understand this if you continue to photograph and compare them over the next months and years.
How to take the right selfies with progress
Note that I’m using selfies as a joke in this context, as many people like to take pictures of their progress (or flexion) right after their workout in the dressing room mirror. This is not the best kind of progress photography, but it can still work if all of your photos from now on are taken this way.
When progressing correctly, the selfie avoids editing or unusual angles; they are rude and honest. (You don’t need to show anyone if you don’t want or are not ready for it.)
That being said, there is a right and wrong way to take these photos . Here’s what to remember:
- Find Bright Lighting: Bright light doesn’t do your body any good. Nothing can be hidden from bright light, that’s the point. Try to keep your main light source in front of you and keep it constant. You don’t want shadows to cover parts of your body that you would like to see clearly in your photographs.
- Take multiple shots: you want different shots from all sides of your body: front, both sides, and back. By looking at your body from different angles, you can also see where you’ve made the most progress (and further increase your motivation), as well as determine which muscle groups you might want to improve during exercise.
- Keep your photos consistent: When you take photos, take them under the same lighting conditions, on the same day, at the same time of day (because factors such as water retention and food can affect body composition), the same background, wearing the same clothing and, if possible, at the same distance from the camera. It looks like we are behaving anally, but as long as you keep everything in line, you will get a more accurate picture of your body’s progress.
- Don’t absorb it: remember that the point is to document your progress as honestly and objectively as possible. Pulling yourself into the stomach is just fooling yourself, and you are worth more.
So, keep taking photos. You don’t need to show it to anyone. They can simply serve as a visual timetable for the gradual transformation of your body and hopefully help you stay committed for the long term. Selfies are fun to watch, at least, and make a damn interesting story when you’re comfortable showing them off.