Last week, we talked about using September as an opportunity to reset. This week, I want to focus on something many people skip when they decide they’re ready to make a change: taking the time to figure out where they’re actually starting.
Most people immediately jump to the goal. They want to lose 20 pounds, get stronger, get their blood sugar under control, or simply get back in shape. Those are all valid goals, but before you focus on where you want to go, it helps to understand where you are right now.
That means establishing a baseline.
The Scale Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
For many people, the first number they look at is body weight. Weight can be useful, but it doesn’t always tell the complete story.
If someone loses five pounds, what did they actually lose? Was it fat, muscle, water, or some combination of all three? If someone gains three pounds, did they gain body fat, or did they gain muscle while getting stronger?
That’s why the number on the scale should only be viewed as one piece of the picture. Body composition can provide more context by helping estimate how much of your body weight comes from fat mass and lean mass, but there are other measurements that can matter too.
Waist circumference, strength, endurance, resting heart rate, mobility, and even how you feel moving through your day can all provide useful information. Depending on the individual, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other health measurements may also be important.
The point is simple: your health is bigger than one number.
What Gets Measured Is Easier to Manage
You don’t need a laboratory or expensive equipment to establish a baseline. You can start with simple measurements that give you a better picture of where you are today.
You might record your current body weight, measure your waist, see how long it takes you to walk a mile, or pay attention to how you feel walking up a flight of stairs. You could track how many times you can comfortably stand up from a chair, record how much weight you can safely press, row, or leg press, or simply pay attention to how many days each week you’re actually exercising.
The goal isn’t to track everything. It’s to create a starting point.
Then, weeks or months later, you’ll have something meaningful to compare against. That matters because progress can happen even when the number on the scale barely changes.
Maybe your waist is smaller. Maybe you’re lifting more weight. Maybe your clothes fit differently, your resting heart rate has improved, or a walk that used to leave you winded now feels much easier.
If the only thing you’re watching is the scale, you could completely miss those wins.
Stop Comparing Your Beginning to Someone Else’s Progress
Another mistake people often make is comparing their starting point to someone else’s results. Social media makes this especially difficult.
You see someone lifting heavier weights, running faster, or showing off a dramatic transformation, and suddenly your own progress doesn’t feel good enough.
But you don’t know where they started.
You don’t know their age, training history, health history, genetics, schedule, or what their life looks like outside the gym.
Your baseline isn’t meant to help you compete with everyone else. It’s meant to help you measure progress against yourself.
A 10-minute walk may not seem impressive to someone who runs marathons, but if you were barely walking at all a month ago, that 10-minute walk represents real progress.
Use the Information, Don’t Judge Yourself
This is important: a baseline is not a report card. It’s information.
If your numbers aren’t where you hoped they would be, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply means you now have a clearer picture of what needs attention, and that information can help you make better decisions.
You can’t build a good plan around information you don’t have.
Whether you use a body composition assessment, measurements at home, a fitness assessment, or lab work through your healthcare provider, the goal is the same: get a clearer picture of where you are so you can make better decisions about where you’re going.
If you’re looking for more support with your health and lifestyle goals, you can also learn more about the Complete Lifestyle Change Program.
Keep It Simple
For your September Reset, don’t start tracking 20 different things. Pick three.
Choose one body measurement, such as body weight or waist circumference, one strength measurement, and one endurance measurement. That’s enough to give you a starting point without turning your health into another full-time job.
Take those measurements now and revisit them later. Progress becomes much easier to recognize when you have something real to compare against.
If nutritional support is part of your plan, you can alsolearn more about the Core R3 Reset.
Coach Nick’s Challenge of the Week
This week, choose three baseline measurements and write them down somewhere you won’t lose them.
Then leave them alone.
You don’t need to obsess over them every day or judge yourself based on the numbers. Use them for what they are: a starting point.
Because before you decide how far you want to go, you first need to know where you’re standing.
Next week, we’ll talk about why trying to change everything at once usually backfires and why simplifying your plan may actually help you make more progress.
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