A Fitness Audit
Ready to get some insights into your health and fitness? I recently did a version of this for some of my clients, which was extremely helpful. In minutes, I got right to the heart of which areas were working well, which needed immediate improvement, and which were in between. If you’ve ever felt like something is off but were unclear on the immediate next step, this will help. While doing this, some areas may surprise you!
During this Fitness Audit, you’ll grade yourself in 8 key areas that impact your health and fitness, determining your current performance in each category, and then giving yourself a comprehensive score. The key is looking at where you are today and not some idealized picture you have of yourself.
We sometimes believe we are doing better in areas of our fitness than we actually are. We either fail to honestly evaluate what we are doing, or we imagine that we are doing quite well since we have the knowledge - but in reality, the action isn’t there.
Why Should You Audit Yourself?
Just like auditing your own finances, it is tremendously impactful to look at what you are doing on a regular basis each day that is impacting your health positively or negatively. Your Fitness Audit score is a dynamic number that will change throughout your life. As summer closes in on us, and we’re in the second half of the year, it is a great time to asses yourself.
How to Score
In each area of your health and wellness, you will score yourself either Red, Yellow, or Green. Red means you are underperforming in basic human health. Yellow means you are moving towards optimal performance, but you still have work to do. Green means you are checking the box for optimal human performance and well-being.
Green = 3 Points
Yellow = 1 Point
Red = 0 Points
Let’s get started!
Strength Training
Do you have a structured strength training plan that you follow at least 3x/week? Do you bring your best energy to your strength training or is it more of an afterthought? Are you actively trying to get stronger in your lifts and push yourself just a little bit harder than last week? Do you prioritize full range of motion lifting and do you try to improve your technique regularly?
If you do these things super consistently, give yourself a Green (3). Doing them sometimes, or some more than others would be a Yellow (1). And not at all would be a Red (0).
Training Score: ____
Nutrition
Are you aware of exactly what you put in your body on a daily basis? Do you know how much protein you need each day and are you clear on what foods to eat in order to get to that target? Do you have a general sense of how many calories you should eat in a given day to maintain your bodyweight?
Do you generally eat single ingredient whole food at most of your meals? Do you include at least 1-2 servings of fruits and or vegetables with each meal? Do you have a consistent eating rhythm in your day and with your meals or is it random?
As above, nailing these things consistently is a Green (3), sometimes or some of them Yellow (1), barely any or not at all = Red (0).
Nutrition Score: ____
Steps
Do you have a measurable way to track your steps each day? Do you take purposeful walks each day? How many steps do you get on a given day? Under 4000 steps a day is considered Sedentary. Getting over 8000-10000 steps a day is considered Moderately Active. Do you sit for work or do you stand at a desk?
<4000 Steps a Day (or little to no purposeful walking) = Red (0)
4000-8000 Steps a Day or guessing steps = Yellow (1)
8000+ a Day = Green (3)
Steps Score: ____
Cardio
Do you have regularly scheduled cardiovascular training sessions each week? Cardio is pre-planned exercise that elevates the heart rate above 70% of your peak heart rate capacity. Do you have a method of cardio that you enjoy enough to do and reap the benefits from?
0 mins of Cardio/week = Red (0)
30 mins of Cardio/week = Yellow (1)
60 mins + of Cardio/week = Green (3)
Cardio Score: ___
Sleep
How much time do you dedicate to sleep? What is the quality of your sleep? Do you have a bedtime routine that involves winding your body down?
Less than 6 hours of Sleep/Night = Red (0)
6-7 Hours of Sleep/Night = Yellow (1)
7+ Hours of Sleep/Night = Green (3)
Sleep Score: ____
Stress
How busy is your mind? Are you constantly wired and thinking about one thing or the next? Do you have a very demanding and stressful career/job? Do you have a lot of family stress or young kids that add stress to your plate?
Stress is about perception, and if you feel stressed or anxious often that is more important than counting up how much objective stress there is in your life. Some people appear to have stressful lives but they feel calm and un-phased.
Do you have tools or methods for dealing with your stress? Does stress interfere with your life or do you notice it more often than not?
Stress Score: ____
Mindset
Are you generally positive about where you are headed in life? Do you wake up each day feeling purposeful and driven? Do you see yourself as generally capable, or do you tell yourself you can’t do hard things?
How often do you speak negatively to yourself, or about yourself or your circumstances? More days than not?
Don’t lie to yourself and give yourself an honest score.
Mindset Score: ____
Relationships
Do you have meaningful and supportive relationships in your life? Who are the three people you spend the most time with, and how do they make you feel? Are you inspired by those that you surround yourself with and do they bring out the best in you? In times of challenge, do you have people you can reliably turn to for support?
Relationship Score: ____
It’s time to tally up your total score. Add all 8 sections and write it down below.
Total Score (out of 24): ____
Which Area is Most Important?
This is a trick question, since none of them are more important than another. Each of these areas play a critical role in your health and fitness. You are only as strong as your weakest link. In the health and fitness space, it is so common for people to prioritize their training and nutrition, but neglect many of the other areas. And then they wonder why they seem to never get past certain plateaus in their fitness.
How Should I Interpret My Score?
If you scored below a 10 total on this Fitness Audit, then I have great news for you. You have so much potential and if you start to tweak just a few things, you could be on your way to feeling massive changes for the better.
Those of you that are between 10-18 are doing plenty of things right. You have a few areas that are green, and those probably are the areas that you put a lot of your energy towards in life. This might be your wake-up call to shift a little of your focus to other areas where you have more room to optimize.
Those of you over 18 have plenty of Green Areas and likely just a few yellows or 1-2 glaring Reds. You know what to do!
What Should I Do Now?
I like to say that Reds are where you have the most room to grow, but Greens are the strength that you will want to anchor yourself to in order to face the challenges of bringing up the other areas. I’m a GREEN when it comes to training and I have been for over 10 years. I don’t need to get better at training to become a better version of myself anymore.
I personally need to focus on sleep and stress and relationships the most. But training is my anchor, and I structure a lot of my life around it so that I feel the strength and confidence in myself to tackle my relationships and sleep better.
Changing from a red to a yellow or a yellow to a green means consistency in those areas of your health. One 8-hour night of sleep doesn’t change your score. So pick a couple of areas that you want to chip away at making consistent and sustainable changes in. Start small and don’t take on too much at once.
I’d love to hear how you did! What surprised you? What are you going to work on now? Where do you need help? Send me a message and let me know!