Current weight: 278.6 lbs,
Total weight loss: 27.2 lbs.
My Next Fitness Update
As I’ve mentioned before, I am tracking 10 fitness and health measures other than just my weight. These include some general health measures and also some fitness measures.
The goal is to repeat these 10 tests every two weeks to see how I am doing (improving!!). I will keep an updated log here and I reviewed my Day 28 measures more in depth here.
Below is a chart that includes all the values since I’ve started. As you can see, some weeks I didn’t measure some items (marked with a ‘–‘). I try to do the best I can, but sometimes I just don’t get around to everything. I didn’t realize how quickly 2 weeks can pass!
For the Day 56 Fitness Update, I was able to measure everything. And it’s the first time my blood pressure measured as normal: 114/79 (Hooray!)
Below the chart, I go more into specific for the different values.
Chart: Fitness Update
Day 56 Fitness Update
1. Waist Body Measurements: Waist Circumference, Waist-to-Height Ratio, Waist-to-Hip Ratio
- Day 0 Day 56
- 47.75 43 Waist circumference (inches)
- 0.72 0.65 Waist-to-height ratio
- 0.8 0.75 Waist-to-hip ratio
My waist is 43 inches, and is still too large and indicates an increased risk of heart and metabolic diseases. Although it’s big, at least it’s heading in the right direction and getting closer to the ideal cutoff of 35 inches.
The same goes for my waist-to-height ratio. It should be less than 0.5, and at 0.65 it’s still too high. But 0.65 is less than when I started!
The third value, the waist-to-hip ratio, should be less than 0.85. Fortunately, I am still within the lower risk an my number continues to get smaller.
2. Resting Heart Rate
- Day 0 Day 56
- 78 62
My resting heart rate continues to get lower, which may indicate improved cardiovascular health.
3. Blood Pressure
- Day 0 Day 56
- 141/86 114/79
Hooray for a normal blood pressure reading!!
A normal blood pressure reading is under 120/80. When I started this, my pressure regularly read in the 140’s/80’s, which was in the pre-hypertension / hypertension I categories.
Over the last several years, I actually don’t remember ever having a totally normal blood pressure reading. Part of that is because I have “White-Coat Hypertension” (anxiety at the doctor’s office that can cause the blood pressure to go up). But it’s also because my blood pressure what just higher than it should have been.
Excited that I’m seeing improvement in my health!
4. Heart Rate Recovery
- Day 0 Day 56
- 13 35
This number continues to improve from the baseline number of 13, which was just above the goal number of 12. The quicker my heart rate returns to normal after exercise, the better shape my heart is probably in. I’m glad that my number continues to improve (although it is a little strange how low my baseline number was – I wonder how accurate the reading was).
5. Sitting-Rising Test
- Day 0 Day 56
- 6 6
No improvement or change in this test. I still need some support from my hand/knee in getting down to the floor and then rising from the floor. And I’ll be honest – I can’t imagine being able to get down and back up again without support! That, if it ever happens, is quite far away.
6. Measuring Endurance
- Day 0 Day 56
- Very Bad Bad
Well, I’m still in the Bad category. But – my 12-minute distances are getting better since each time I’m able to go further. Having less weight to carry definitely helps with this.
On Day 56, I was able to go 1,416 meters. On Day 42, I was able to go 1,368 meters. Definite improvement!
7. 3-Minute Step Test
- Day 0 Day 56
- Average (low) Good
Similar to the heart rate recovery, this test measure how well your heart rate goes back to normal after doing steps for 3-minutes. You compare yourself to people of your gender and age to see where you fall.
Fortunately, my number continues to improve. At the beginning, I was in the low Average category, and now I’m solidly in the Good category.
8. Sit-Up Test
- Day 0 Day 56
- 37* 45*
Although I have been able to do an increased number of sit-ups since the start, technically this may not be true since I don’t think what I do now can be counted as an actual real sit-up. My shoulders don’t come off the ground – my core strength just isn’t strong enough. (So I’ve marked this value with an asterisk).
But, I will continue to do what I can, and hope that one day I’ll be able to do a full, legit sit-up.
9. Flexibility: Sit & Reach
- Day 0 Day 56
- 14 in 14 in
Wow. I am really not flexible and that value really hasn’t changed. My reach is less than what it should be for women my age.
The little exercise that I’ve been doing doesn’t involve any stretching or flexibility. This may be something I’ll have to incorporated moving forward if I want to become more limber and see this number improve.
10. Balance
- Day 0 Day 56
- 13 sec* (Fair) 16 sec* (Fair)
This is another category that has an asterisk since I wasn’t able to complete it the way it was supposed to be done.
I can balance on one leg — although obviously not for very long! — but I can’t balance on the ball of one foot. That’s because I can’t support my weight on just the ball of one foot right now. I can get on one tippy-toe for about a second before I have to put my whole foot down. Hopefully this will soon change. And this is something else I can continue working on.
Progress
Overall, I’m happy to track these number and pleased with the progress. It’s nice to see these indicators of health and fitness improving, even if they were pretty dismal to start. Actually, especially since they were so dismal to start.
More proof that each day of this wellness endeavor I become healthier.
Day #58:
Current weight: 278.6 lbs
Total weight loss: 27.2 lbs
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