Today I wanted to share my thoughts on the importance of keeping track. 

I think everyone can get a little lost sometimes and lose track of what they are working towards and if you don't record what you are doing it is difficult to keep perspective. 

Keeping a record of both nutrition and in particular workouts is extremely valuable. 

Keep a record via a notebook, diary or for my clients via the LiveFitNow Online app. This is one of the best ways of measuring progress in both the short and long term. The best way of ensuring you are making progress each week is knowing exactly what you did the week before. It will also show you when you reach a training plateau and it's time to change things up.

It's a common question, are fitbits or any activity tracker any good? You may have a fitbit, samsung gear, apple watch or one of the numerous other makes out there. More and more I hear negative headlines about how we shouldn't bother with them. I have to say I don't disagree with the points that are made by the critics, most of the observations are correct but this does not mean that they are a waste of time. 

I think it is a matter of how you use them. I know for a fact, because numerous clients have proven so, that these watches get people moving more than they did. Many people have such sedentary lives, these watches make people aware of how little they are moving and thus the incentive to increase the number of steps that they carry out is great. 

One of the biggest criticisms of these watches is the accuracy of them, or rather lack of accuracy. If you wore three watches at the same time it is highly unlikely that by the end of the day you would have the same step count on all of them. Why bother then? Well does it really matter the exact number that you carry out? Or is it more important that you move more in general, we are probably talking a few hundred steps different, not the difference between someone who naturally does 3-4000 a day trying to ensure they reach 10000. In this case the watches do a good job. 

One tip that I think is important to remember is to not use the additional calories that it calculates for you, this will particularly be relevant if you link your fitbit to myfitnesspal, the inaccuracy of its calculations coupled with most people rough estimations when they track food can mean it is easy to throw yourself over by a few hundred calories each day. 

Heart rate and sleep tracking is another significant element to the functions of these watches. Again, I do think that the accuracy is not perfect but it does make people more aware and accountable to there habits and patterns. 


I absolutely believe that fitness trackers have there place. They can be a great encouragement and support tool. Having one does not mean you are going to use it, after all you still need to take action to reach the goals but for most I find it gives you that helping hand and encouragement to get going. 

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have any questions please get in touch and I will get back to you. 

Vicki x

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a great week! Today I want to bring up the topic of support. I sent out a mailshot last week asking for support of LiveFitNow by subscribing to our YouTube channel. And it got me thinking about the importance of support. It is extremely powerful, especially when you are striving towards personal goals.
As a personal trainer and online coach I consider support as one of the most important skills to practice day after day. It is the foundation of the service that I offer.

Support may come from a professional, a partner, family member, colleague or friend. Not forgetting your own “self” support. Don’t underestimate the importance of this. It can increase the confidence that you have in taking each small step towards your goals rather than feeling alone. 

Support 
Setting yourself up with a good support network is an important thing to consider. You should consider both professional and personal support.
Do you have the help of your family and/or close friends? When you have goals to work towards it is extremely helpful if you feel supported, let people know what you are trying to achieve so they can help rather than hinder. The last thing you want as you get started is the offer of office biscuits or a night out down the pub, as much as there is nothing wrong with having those things in your life, temptation when you are trying to change habits is often counter-productive. You are trying to break old habits and great new ones. Most people thrive off routine and it all about taking small steps to change your routine to a healthier, fitter and happier one.
Professional help can come in the form of showing you how to put a structure and routine into place that will allow you to work towards your goals. They can then keep you accountable and help you with your bumps in the road along the way. Remember you need to remind yourself this is a long-term plan for long term results, it may not all be plain sailing and that is when support is so important for achieving the long term goals.
Professionals have often dealt with many of these issues before with clients and through their own experience so know how to guide you and people within your personal network have probably shared some of these experiences at some point too. Prioritise time for yourself and those who can aide you, it pays dividends. 

I hope this gets you thinking about your own support network and how you can use it to your advantage and also be a support to those around you who need some help. 

As always, if you have any questions please get in touch! :) 

​Vicki