Using Girth Measurements – Girth measurements are a wonderful way to monitor your Body Composition changes (lowering your fat composition and slightly increasing your muscle mass). Listed below are the sites that someone you know and trust can do your measurements and be able to reproduce them over and over again so that they are valid tests. You should be measured from your right side every time and in the same clothing. The individual measuring should use a soft measuring tape such as those used by tailors.

Using Dress Sizes – Many of my clients enjoy using dress size as a measure of their changes instead of the scales. This works well as many people may not drop any weight or they may drop less than they expected but they see fantastic changes in their dress size and how their clothing fits. It is extremely empowering to not be ruled by the scales.

The Sites

Shoulder (Shl) – take the tape around the person’s shoulders about two inches below the tops of the shoulder.

Chest (NC) – the person should raise their arms up to their sides as the tester takes the tape around their chest asking the person to place the tape around the “nipple line”. This gives a landmark for the tester to come back to. The person is then asked to drop their arms by their sides and relax them.

Minimum Waist (MW) – the person is again asked to raise their arms up by their sides and the tester takes the tape around the “smallest” looking portion of their waste. The person is asked to drop their arms by their sides again and relax.

Belly Button Waist (UW) – the person is again asked to raise their arms up by their sides and the tester takes the tape around the waist and asks the person to place the tape on their belly button while the measurement is being taken. Arms are then dropped by the sides.

Hips – the tester looks at the bum of the person and determines the widest portion as the landmark and then takes the tape around the bum at this point to measure the “hips”. This gives a landmark for the next measuring session.

Thigh – the tester brings the tape up to the top of the right leg and measures around this leg at the “crease” of the bum at the bottom.

These measurements can be repeated every six weeks to see the best changes. Any earlier is usually too soon to see changes. There is no need to compare to norm charts as you are measuring your progress, not anyone else’s.

Charlene has measured hundreds of clients over the years and has also taught personal trainers Fitness Assessment courses on how to measure and monitor clients.