The entire point of taking measurements along your journey is to
find the accurate data that you need that can give you input and
feedback to tell you if what you are doing is sending you in the right
direction and you are on track.
The assessments that you give yourself should directly relate to your long term goals. Here are a few ways to help you track your progress, some are better than others, so find a couple that work for you a get started.
BMI
Firstly you need to find out exactly what your BMI or Body Mass index currently is before you do anything. Your BMI is your body fat based on your height and weight. All you need to do is simply enter your height and weight in to a BMI calculator and it will present you with number.
There are 4 ranges for BMI. Less than normal weight is less than 18.5, 18.5-24.9 is normal weight, over weight is 25-29.9 and obese is greater than 30. On average older adults tend to have more body fat than younger adults with the same BMI. People that have a lot of muscle mass have a higher BMI, so BMI works best for kids and overweight individuals.
The bathroom scale
This is one of the obvious ways to measure your progress; however it may not be the best way unless you compare it with something else.You can use other methods (skin fold callipers, ultrasound, underwater weighing, to measure your body composition, fat versus lean muscle, this gives you a more accurate idea of the changes that you are making to your body. The scale works best when it is used alongside other methods.
Circumference measurements
Measuring your waist, hips, abdominal girth can substitute other body measurements when used with bathroom scales. It can be very helpful if your weight has not changed, but you have dropped off couple of pant sizes. This shows that you have gained muscle and lost fat, so the scale shows a net loss of zero.
Fitness apps to track your progress
Apps that can track your progress are essential part of any weight loss or fitness plan. The great thing about apps is that they create greater mindfulness about what you choose to track (food, exercise quantity, exercise frequency, etc.)
Apps are the most beneficial when used for weight loss, because they really help to track calories expenditure through dieting and exercise. The only downside to smartphone apps, is that sometimes the data will not be accurately recorded due to lower battery power or poor signal, however there are ways around this.
You also need to be very attentive if the app requires you to add info for the data to be measured. Apps are also a great way to hold you accountable when tracking progress made in previous workouts. Some of the best apps for weight loss and fitness include MyPlate (food and calorie tracker) MyFitnessPal (calorie tracker) MapMyRide (measures routes for cycling and MapMyRun (tracks your run).
The fit of your clothes
When you cannot button up your favourite pair of jeans, it is very easy to blame it on the dryer shrinkage, but if you are not being honest with yourself, then this is a sign that you not making progress in the right direction.
Handheld body fat Measure
These devices track your body fat when the device is gripped with both hands. The device sends an electronic current through the body to get a reading. It is very simple to use, but is not always very accurate. Any device like this is subject to a variety of sources of error. The greatest value lies in measuring pre and post workout or diet progress for any one person.
Body weight and body fat scales
These scales claim to measure not only your body fat and weight but also hydration levels and bone by simply standing on them. Hydration levels and the timing of your last meal can greater change to outcome when using the scales to track your progress.
If you use the scale at the same time each day you will get a relative measure of your progress. You must be hydrated to do this, water conducts a better current than fat, and you should not have eaten a large meal a significant amount of time before you use this scale because the liquids in the foods that you would have eaten can distort the measurement of conductance.
The assessments that you give yourself should directly relate to your long term goals. Here are a few ways to help you track your progress, some are better than others, so find a couple that work for you a get started.
BMI
Firstly you need to find out exactly what your BMI or Body Mass index currently is before you do anything. Your BMI is your body fat based on your height and weight. All you need to do is simply enter your height and weight in to a BMI calculator and it will present you with number.
There are 4 ranges for BMI. Less than normal weight is less than 18.5, 18.5-24.9 is normal weight, over weight is 25-29.9 and obese is greater than 30. On average older adults tend to have more body fat than younger adults with the same BMI. People that have a lot of muscle mass have a higher BMI, so BMI works best for kids and overweight individuals.
The bathroom scale
This is one of the obvious ways to measure your progress; however it may not be the best way unless you compare it with something else.You can use other methods (skin fold callipers, ultrasound, underwater weighing, to measure your body composition, fat versus lean muscle, this gives you a more accurate idea of the changes that you are making to your body. The scale works best when it is used alongside other methods.
Circumference measurements
Measuring your waist, hips, abdominal girth can substitute other body measurements when used with bathroom scales. It can be very helpful if your weight has not changed, but you have dropped off couple of pant sizes. This shows that you have gained muscle and lost fat, so the scale shows a net loss of zero.
Fitness apps to track your progress
Apps that can track your progress are essential part of any weight loss or fitness plan. The great thing about apps is that they create greater mindfulness about what you choose to track (food, exercise quantity, exercise frequency, etc.)
Apps are the most beneficial when used for weight loss, because they really help to track calories expenditure through dieting and exercise. The only downside to smartphone apps, is that sometimes the data will not be accurately recorded due to lower battery power or poor signal, however there are ways around this.
You also need to be very attentive if the app requires you to add info for the data to be measured. Apps are also a great way to hold you accountable when tracking progress made in previous workouts. Some of the best apps for weight loss and fitness include MyPlate (food and calorie tracker) MyFitnessPal (calorie tracker) MapMyRide (measures routes for cycling and MapMyRun (tracks your run).
The fit of your clothes
When you cannot button up your favourite pair of jeans, it is very easy to blame it on the dryer shrinkage, but if you are not being honest with yourself, then this is a sign that you not making progress in the right direction.
Handheld body fat Measure
These devices track your body fat when the device is gripped with both hands. The device sends an electronic current through the body to get a reading. It is very simple to use, but is not always very accurate. Any device like this is subject to a variety of sources of error. The greatest value lies in measuring pre and post workout or diet progress for any one person.
Body weight and body fat scales
These scales claim to measure not only your body fat and weight but also hydration levels and bone by simply standing on them. Hydration levels and the timing of your last meal can greater change to outcome when using the scales to track your progress.
If you use the scale at the same time each day you will get a relative measure of your progress. You must be hydrated to do this, water conducts a better current than fat, and you should not have eaten a large meal a significant amount of time before you use this scale because the liquids in the foods that you would have eaten can distort the measurement of conductance.
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