The Official Blog of Tara Marie Segundo, M.A.
I recently discussed the importance of body composition and how it matters not so much what you weigh, but rather how much of that weight is fat vs. muscle mass. For more information, check out this blog post: The Significance of Body Composition.
Now that we have reviewed the importance of knowing how much fat you carry relative to muscle, let’s discuss the importance of determining where that fat is.
An easy and effective way to measure what is really going on in your body is by calculating your Waist to Hip Ratio. All you need is a tape measure, which is portable, inexpensive, and will help you overcome Scalitis, that nasty disease that keeps you tied to your bathroom scale as a determinant of your self-worth!!
Have you ever started a new diet and exercise program that fizzles fast because you just can’t take it anymore? You need to get real!
First, do what works for you. This is your program, and it must accommodate you—your skill level, and activities that you know you will do. If you try to follow the same fitness plan as your single gal-pal at work, it may not fit into your life if you are a working wife and mom with three rug rats! Examine your life, what you like to do, and your limitations. Customize your fitness plan to meet your needs and it will take less effort to maintain it.
Next, create a plan that you can live with forever: no shortcuts here—your plan is your new lifestyle, and you must create one that you have time to incorporate into your schedule. Taking extreme measures will do nothing for you in the long run. It’s better to make and sustain small changes than to do anything too extreme for a short while. If you get overwhelmed or frustrated when thinking about “forever,” think only about today. Tomorrow will come and you will handle it when it gets here.
