Tips for Taking Body Measurements

FREE DAILY FITNESS TIP

By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Taking your measurements before you start a weight loss plan is a good idea. Not only will it cement the fact that you’re starting a journey toward a healthier you, it’ll also give you a good idea of where exactly you’re starting out. Unfortunately, taking measurements and comparing them to your progress later on down the line isn’t always an accurate science. Will you measure your thighs at exactly the same place as the first time, or will you accidentally measure yourself an inch lower on your leg where your thighs are slimmer naturally and fool yourself into thinking you’ve lost more weight than you really have? While you can take personal notes during the first measurement to remind you where exactly you’re taking the first measurement, learning how to take body measurements with these tips will help even more:

• Keep the length of the measuring tape perfectly parallel to the floor at all times.
• Pull the tape snug, but not so tight that it squeezes your body.
• Measurements taken around the neck, buttocks, thighs, calves, biceps, and forearm should be taken around the largest circumference.
• Waist measurement should be taken around the smallest circumference.
• Stand with your feet together when taking hip, buttock and thigh measurements, and never flex or tense your body while you’re taking measurements.
• Don’t suck in your stomach to take waist measurements, or you’ll just get a false measurement.

And above all, relax! Let it all hang loose, because the more honest you are with your first set of measurement, the higher magnitude of change you’ll see when you start to lose weight. And there’s nothing more motivating than progress!