If there’s one thing a
runner loves it’s statistics. Distance covered, at what pace, and what’s my
current best time for my weekly long run?! Well there’s good news!....
This love of statistics can
be applied to running for weight loss too! Let’s take a look at the things you
can measure and use to track your progress...
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI uses height and weight
to determine a score which is used to determine whether someone is underweight,
a healthy weight, overweight or obese.
BMI is ok to use as a broad
measure of where you are in terms of weight but it’s a little arbitrary. It
doesn’t allow for build or body fat. For example the upper end of the ‘healthy’
range is 25. But, if your BMI is 25.5 you’re suddenly overweight! It can also
make someone who has a lot of lean muscle mass 'overweight' when in fact they
are perfectly healthy! However, it is still useful as a guide.
Here’s
a chart to give you a rough idea of where you are on the BMI scale:
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| Click Image To View a Larger Version |
Weight
The overall aim of your
running is to lose weight. An easy trap to fall into is getting on the scales
every day. Be disciplined and weigh yourself once a week. Ideally do this at
the weekend or a non-working day but try to do it at regular intervals.
Weighing yourself daily can be de-motivating as you won't see much change it at
all. When weighing yourself try to do it before you've had anything to eat,
when you get up.
Waist Measurement
Probably the most vital
statistic is your waist measurement. After all it's the one that really matters
– your waist measurement will give you the clearest possible indicator of your
progress and it's the one that will tell you when you're ready to put that pair
of jeans you haven't worn for a while back on!
Another measurement you can
take is the upper arm and upper thigh as these are areas where fat is commonly
stored. It's your choice but at the very least keep a weekly record of your
waist measurement.
Body Fat Percentage
To get even more
information about your overall health and weight loss you could add body fat
measurements. Probably the easiest way to do this at home is by using a set of
callipers that measure the amount of fat on your waist. These are affordable
and available from sites like accumeasurefitness.com. You
can buy scales which supposedly measure body fat as well as your weight but
callipers are probably more accurate.
Resting Heart
Rate (RHR)
Not directly related to weight loss but this
will give you an indicator of how your overall fitness is improving. Again, try
to do this at regular intervals and under the same circumstances. As we're
looking for your resting heart rate make sure you do this when you're relaxed
and do it before exercising. Try taking your RHR first thing in the morning on
the same day you weigh yourself. As your fitness improves your RHR should
gradually get lower. Note this can be affected by other health factors
including stress.
These statistics are a suggestion only. You can
use some or all of them depending on what feels like a good fit for your needs.
At the very minimum, measure your waist and weigh yourself on a weekly basis.