Fitness: How do you measure up?

There's really no way to you know if you've made any progress unless you're tracking yourself somehow, because duh. I've had friends tell me they're too embarrassed to take "before" measurements, because they DON'T WANT TO KNOW how fat (or skinny and unmuscular) they really are. Fair enough. Take a "before" picture and be done with it. Nothing is more striking -- or motivating -- than a visual of how far you've come so far.

At the very least, keep measured tabs on fitness stuff:

* Keep a workout journal. Sure, you may look like a nerd on the gym floor but who cares? Write down exercises, repetitions, weight, time/distance, etc. Do this every time you do something active (hike, walk the dog, etc.)

* Add weight/reps/time/distance every month. The goal is to increase all of the above or you're not making progress.

* Diet diaries are equally great in keeping tabs on your tummy. Have you ever actually written down every single thing you put in your body over the course of an entire day? When you're truly keeping track, you can better manage what you eat.