There are several ways in which you can track the success of your workouts that aren’t limited to sweat and body aches. Here are 5 of them.

Most people judge their workouts by their body’s response to them. If they’re covered in sweat or their muscles ache, it means that whatever they did was successful and they just burned a bunch of calories. While this tends to be true, the more you start working out and habituating to these routines, the less reliable these factors become.

There are plenty of ways of measuring your workout’s success and not all of them are painful or visible. For example, if your workout is particularly sweaty it could mean you were working out with a lot of intensity, that the weather was warm, that you were drinking a lot of water or that you were wearing a lot of layers. There are a lot of variables that might not be indicative of the effectiveness of your workout.

Here are 5 signs that do actually indicate your workouts are effective:

You feel good afterwards

Not all benefits of exercise are physical ones. Health experts recommend working out regularly since it helps your mental health and is a simple way of feeling good. Aside from producing endorphins and dopamine, a good workout makes you feel good with yourself, like you did something positive with your body.

You can push yourself further

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If you’re able to run faster, for longer periods of time, to lift heavier weights and to have more mobility, it means that your workouts are producing results. While these might not be notable in the mirror, they’re experienced only after you’ve worked out consistently and suggest that you’re working towards something.

Workouts feels easier

People who workout by repeating routines and movements might find themselves completing these exercises more easily after some time. At first, your body isn’t used to these changes and might feel as if it’s impossible to complete the workout; after repeated efforts, your body learns the right ways to move and it becomes easier and effective to complete your routines.

You’re more coordinated

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While some people are good with coordinating their limbs, having a natural predisposition to dance workouts and in finding the right timing in their routines, a lot of people don’t. The more you practice these kinds of workouts, the easier they become, giving people a burst of confidence since coordination is very visual and easy to notice.

You can feel the effects in your muscles

Consistent workouts will also strengthen the connection between your muscles and your brain, making each movement feel more purposeful and like you’re more in control. When trying new movements, be sure to focus on the muscles you’re meant to be using, that way knowing if you’re doing these movements correctly and preventing injuries.