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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Feature Article- Effective Ways of Measuring Progress
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1. ARTICLE:
Effective Ways of Measuring Progress
By Chad Tackett
Online
Fitness Programs
Success can be measured on a number of levels. It's important to
measure your progress by the new healthy habits you're adopting
as well as by your appearance. Long-term decreases in medical
problems, injury, and other health risks and an improved quality
of life, with or without weight loss, are the most important measures
of success
Short- and medium-term changes can also be measured regularly
during the process. These include obvious changes in health-related
behavior patterns such as a decreased reliance on medications,
increased ability to perform physical activity, a reduced intake of
fat,
and the increased intake of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals
in your diet.
If you've started making slight changes in how your food is cooked
or prepared, or if you're reading labels at the grocery store and are
discovering new tastes and textures, you're making great
improvements towards a healthier lifestyle. When you feel good
about yourself and acknowledge the changes you're making along
the way, you're more likely to keep moving forward on your path.
Physical indicators of progress towards a healthier body fat
distribution include the waist circumference and waist-hip ration
(WHR). Because abdominal obesity has consistently been
associated with risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, any
reduction in the waist circumference or in the WHR is a positive
step towards a healthier body fat distribution, regardless of weight
loss.
Another good way of determining physical progress is having your
body fat measured by either hydrostatic weighing, electrical
impedance, or simply by using skinfold calipers. This latter is by
far the cheapest and most accessible. Although it is not as accurate
as the other two methods, it can at the very least give you a
beginning point from which you can easily measure decreases
in body fat. Please refer to the Global Health and Fitness Personal
Trainer Directory [see link at bottom of article] to find a certified
personal trainer in your area that can measure your body fat
percentage.
However you decide to measure your physical progress, never use
the scale as an indicator. Your weight does not reflect how healthy
you are or the progress you've made. When you step on the scale,
your weight reflects the combined total of both your lean body
weight (muscle, bone, organs, fluids) and body fat weight. Two
people with identical body weights do not have the same body
composition; they could, indeed, have entirely different body
types. For example a 170-pound man might have 60 pounds
of body fat and 110 pounds of lean body mass. A healthier, more
muscular man might only have 25 pounds of body fat and 145
pounds of lean body mass. Even though these two individuals
weigh the same, one is in much better shape than the other.
Using the scale to measure your progress gives you no information
about the body composition (fat vs. muscle) changes that are
actually occurring. The scale may show that you've lost seven
pounds, but it can't tell you that half of the weight was muscle
and water, not fat. Similarly, people become discouraged when
they haven't lost any weight, even though they have actually lost
pounds of fat and replaced them with pounds of firm, fat-burning
muscle.
Developing healthier eating and physical activity habits will most
likely result in a loss of body fat even though the scale may indicate
that you weigh the same. Learn to use other methods of determining
body composition and pay more attention to improvements in how
you feel, in your self-esteem, and in your physical appearance.
Height/weight charts and other tables such as the BMI (Body Mass
Index: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters, squared)
have similar limitations when used as an indicator of progress
towards a healthier lifestyle for several reasons. First, these
formulas are not always related to how fat you are since they don't
take into account body composition/fat distribution. Many people
who are muscular or short and stocky have a high BMI, even
though they are not necessarily fat or at high risk for disease.
Second, the BMI is only appropriate for adults 20-65 years of
age. It cannot account for patterns of growth in adolescents or
in the elderly, who may decrease in height with age. Third, the
focus is still on changing one's weight to produce a lower BMI
(since it's not possible to increase one's height). This continues
to promote weight change as the ideal way to improve health.
Don't forget to notice and acknowledge improvements in energy,
performance, self-esteem, and the many other benefits you'll
gain from this healthier lifestyle: improvements in health risk
factors and medical conditions, improved quality of life and
psychological functioning, healthier eating, and more enjoyable
physical activity. Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful
benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.
For more info on Global Online Fitness Programs
More Health, Fitness and Bodybuilding Tips
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