It takes more than Weight to Measure Success
So your doctor has given you the go ahead to exercise. You've signed up at the gym or purchased your favorite work out equipment and you're ready to go. Before you start, you jump on the scale and pick that ?magic number? as your goal. A few weeks in, you start to lose motivated; the numbers aren't dropping as quickly as you'd hoped. You start to get discouraged. STOP! The culprit may be muscle. While muscle gain is desirable, as it allows you to burn more fat, it makes judging progress through weight alone an inaccurate measure of success.
You've probably heard it many times before: muscle weighs more than fat. It's true. So how can you evaluate your progress in fat loss relative to muscle gain? If you are a member at a gym, you can probably get a fitness evaluation done by one of the trainers. If it's unreasonably expensive, you can use Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator under your tools tab. Your BMI is a good indicator of your fat to muscle mass ratio. As your BMI should be calculated roughly every 2 to 4 months it may not give you the motivation you seek. So what's the solution? I recommend using Girth Measurement to complement your weight management program.
Girth Measurement is simply taking the circumference of key body parts for future comparison. The repeated measurement of these sites will allow you to appreciate the loss of inches even when your scale barely moves. I recommend taking your measurements every two weeks.
How to take your Girth Measurements:
1- Use a non-stretch measuring tape to take the circumference of body parts.
2- Always measure at the same spot when checking progress.
3- Try not to measure after a workout. Increased blood flow to the muscles may inflate your numbers.
4- Always use the same side of your body (i.e. right leg, right arm)
Measurement Sites:
- Upper Arm at largest point
- Hips at largest point
- Calf at largest point
- Wrist at smallest point
- Waist at smallest point ( just below the ribs)
- Chest, just above the nipple
- Thigh just below the bum
Girth measurement is a great way to complement weight management programs. It's sometimes hard to appreciate the changes in our bodies, particularly when the scale stops moving. Girth Measurement allows us to see weight loss results despite the scale and stay motivated.
Keep sweating!
References:
American Council on Exercise. ACE Personal Trainer Manual: The Ultimate Resource for Fitness Professional. San Diego: American Council on Exercise, 2003.
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