SpirFit Program Day 4: Waist More Important Than Weight

Tweet Follow @AmadeoConstanzo
Today, the actions you need to take are:

1. Purchase a measuring tape that measures your waist, such as the ones at-
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687525&kwCatId=

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM200244206P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM200244206

(If you can’t purchase it today for any reason, make sure you enter it in your schedule to do in the next day.)

2. If you have a digital camera or camera phone, snap a full body shot of yourself. (You’ll be snapping the same shot of yourself in a few months so keep track of your progress.) If you don’t have a digital camera, go get one. (This is optional, but I highly recommend this.)

If you ask me, I think your waist measurements and a digital camera’s capture of your body shape are more important indicators than weight and BMI. I say this because they are more concrete indicators as far as the eyes can observe.
Your waist measurement is important if your looks are important to you and/or if your health is important to you. Studies have shown that people with smaller waist (relative to their hips) are generally more attractive. Furthermore, others studies have shown that a larger waist is associated with increased chances of a number of chronic diseases.

Although taking your weight is important, but it is good to also snap a digital picture of yourself. If you’ve made progress by increasing your lean muscle mass and bone mass, the scale may not show the progress. However, your progress will be apparent in your digital photos (if you wear honest clothing that show your actual figure, and not clothing that plays tricks on the eyes.) Another way to determine progress (that weight alone does not account for) is obtaining body fat percentage. However, the most accurate ways of obtaining this measurement is not accessible to most of the public (and not even corporate fitness professionals), unless you work at a university lab or sports medicine facility where they have hydrostatic weighing or the Bod Pod. However, I think that’s overkill anyway (for the purpose of getting fit, looking better, and being healthier.)

When you look at an attractive girl or guy on the street, how many of you would say, “Let me put her/him on a weight scale before I can determine whether he/she is attractive or not.” No, you just immediately could tell when you look at them whether this person is attractive.

A person can become more attractive by becoming more fit, and you could just tell when a person has honestly started a healthy fitness program because they look better (even if their overall weight has not changed that much yet).

I’m not saying that overall weight is not important. That’s not what I am saying. I’m saying that it should not be on the top of the priority list of the indicators of progress. The over-emphasis on overall weight is a major reason why many are unable to stick to a good long-term fitness program.

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772