Measuring success in your health and fitness program
Even though you might think all you want and need is the scales to show many less pounds than it did last week and for the mirror to become friendly again, success in your health and fitness program can and should be measured on a number of levels��.
Measuring your progress by the new healthy habits you're adopting, as well as by your weight; body fat; comfort level in your clothes (you know � how that waistband feels, or how that dress hangs) can be more motivating and effective in the long term than microscropically analyzing every morning whether the scale has moved a fraction of an inch or not!
Looking even longer-term, decreases in medical problems, injury and other health risks; an improved quality of life - with or without weight loss - are, ultimately the most important measures of success. Short- and medium-term changes, however, 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 (more energy to play with the kids or your puppy!); 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, paying attention to the serving sizes that you accept, 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 � one method of doing this is by bioelectrical impedance. Ask a local trainer if you would like this measured.
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 (a favorite dress or pair of pants and how they fit perhaps?) 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.
Another excellent way of tracking your progress is to measure your Resting Heart Rtae (RHR) this should reduce with time and is a good indication of Cardio Vascular Fitness and general health and is easy to measure.
Other ways to notice your success � see if your energy level has gone up. How about your overall attitude and outlook? Do you just feel better about yourself in general because you are sticking with your exercise program?
Remember-Keep drinking the Water and Fitness is about Progression not Perfection !!
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