Reading a book titled “The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman“, by Tim Ferris was a turning point in my goal for a sexier body.  Although I do not follow his exact diet plan, I have used parts of it to reach my fitness/health goals.   Here are two of his suggestions that really stuck out to me, and that I have incorporated into my health/fitness routine.  These are 2 Habits that are a MUST for accurately tracking your fitness progress, which in turn will result in a slimmer, sexier body.


1.  Get rid of the Scale, and Get a Measuring Tape Instead
I used to have a bad habit of stepping onto the scale every day that I step foot into the gym.  This is a dangerous habit, especially for women, for a couple of reasons.

As a woman, the scale is likely to give bad results before and during menstruation (the time of the month where we are probably the least emotionally equipped to handle such bad news).

Another problem is that a jump up in numbers on the scale can easily be reflecting a gain of muscle.  This is especially true for those that are very close to their fitness goals.  Say you gain a pound of muscle, but lose a half pound of fat.  This would mean you gained weight, but I can pretty much guarantee that you will look better with the extra muscle and less fat.

An increase in weight could be due to water retention rather than gaining fat.  Water retention can happen for a number of reasons, including a woman’s menstrual cycle or an excess of sodium (salt) intake.

Why a Measuring Tape??  
I don’t know about you, but one of my main purposes for working out is to look good!  In fitness, the way I can achieve this is to lose fat, gain muscle, and lose inches (off my waist, arms, hips, etc).  This is where a measuring tape comes in. If my weight goes up due to muscle, but I lose 2 inches off of my waist, I will look much better even though I weigh more!  Your measurements will help you to assess whether or not you are losing fat….and isn’t that what we all want?

Now, this is not to confuse you into thinking that you have to gain weight to lose inches, but I just wanted to point out that because of some of the factors mentioned above, many women become deceived, frustrated, and unmotivated when they work out, only to see “Bad Results” on the scale.  When I started working out hardcore, I DID gain weight before I lost weight.  This was a result of me building a lot of muscle at first, which is a VERY good thing.  The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn, even at rest, eventually creating a toned and sculpted physique.  This results in a thinner waist and overall slim appearance!

How to measure:  

• When measuring any area, the tape should be held firmly but not too tight.
• Make sure the measuring tape is making an even/straight line all the way around the area that you are measuring.  
• Pick a consistent time to measure.  For example, measure yourself at 8:00 a.m. every Friday.  By picking a consistent time, your measurements will be more accurate and less affected by outside factors.
• Bust: measure the largest part of your bust, all the way around your back.  
• Waist:  Measure the smallest part, all the way around
• Hips: Measure the largest part of your hips, all the way around.  This may include where your buttox is as well. 

2.  Take Pictures of Yourself Once a Week
Unless you avoid mirrors at all costs, you are going to see yourself everyday at least once, but most likely more than once.  If you are like most women, you probably are obsessed with mirrors and look long and hard at yourself on a daily basis.  When you see yourself everyday, it’s sometimes hard to notice the subtle changes that may occur.  This is why it is important to take pictures of yourself once a week.  This will help you to track your progress and be able to see how your body is now compared to one week ago.  After a while you will be able to compare where you started to what you look like months later!  This is a great way to track your progress.  If you see big changes, you will be SUPER motivated, and if you see no changes you will know that you are doing something wrong.

Tips For Taking Photos:

• Take a side view, frontal view, and back view photo of yourself
• If you have any problem areas, you may want to take a close-up photo of this area.  I know this can be kind of frustrating, but in the long run you will Thank Yourself!  For example, my butt is usually the area I have the hardest time losing fat from, so I like to take close-up photos of this area (I usually get my husband to help).  
• Wear as little clothing as possible.  Good options include swimwear, underwear, or even your Birthday Suit (just make EXTRA sure that nobody has access to your photos!)