The size of your waist says a lot about your health and overall well-being, so you need to know how to measure your waist. But why is waist measurement so important?
Simply because there is a strong relationship between your waist size and chronic health issues like diabetes, etc. Furthermore, studies show that the ratio between your height and weight can serve as an indication of obesity or the potential of being obsessed. However, your body mass index (BMI) does not account for the distribution of fat in your body.
But it is pertinent to note that a large waist is a clear sign that your body is accumulating so much fat in your waist region. Accumulated fat along your waistline has more impact on your internal organs than fat concentrated in other parts of your body. This is why you should take your waist area very seriously.
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Why you should measure your waist
There are a few reasons why you should measure your waist. Measuring your waist will help you keep track of your weight gain. Not only will you tell with a great degree of certainty that you are adding weight, but you will also be able to clearly tell how much weight and fat gain you are adding within a specific period.
Another reason why you should measure your waist is because it will help you pick the right dresses that will fit you. If you haven’t bought new clothes in a while, you may not know how much weight you have lost or gained. This may cause you to buy an oversized or undersized trouser or skirt. Continue to read on to know how to measure your waist.
Causes of an expanding waistline
Several factors may cause your waist to expand. Of all the factors, the most prominent one of them all is intraabdominal fat. This fat develops in and around internal organs and is very different from the normal fat that develops in other areas like your thighs and arms. Normal fat forms under the skin while intra abdominal fat develops within the Endoskeleton. Intraabdominal fat is highly inflammatory, and excess accumulation should be a cause of concern.
Before now, the general belief was that fat cells only stored energy use, but later discoveries showed that they also secrete hormones and also respond to injuries, inflammation, and serious allergies. They are also known to secrete anti-inflammatory hormones as well as adiponectin (protein hormones). This hormone improves the level of insulin sensitivity as well as reduces the growth of diabetes and atherosclerosis. But the less the growth of these hormones, the more fat your body accumulates.
So, in a nutshell, the growth of more fat cells leads to waist enlargement, and if this is not checked, it may lead to more than a few health complications.
How to measure your waist
Now that you know why it is important to keep track of your waist size let us take you through the steps to measure your waist.
Take off your dress
To start the measurement, you will have to remove whatever lower body apparel you have on. You can not do the measurement accurately if you have clothes on. Just make sure your waist area is exposed, and nothing is standing in the way.
Trace the top of your waist with your fingers
The next step is to use your fingers to trace the top of your waist. What you should look for is the top of your hips and your rib cage. Your waist is the fleshy part in between both sections ( hips and rib cage)
Run the measuring tape
The next step is to run the measuring tape around your waist. To do that, maintain an upright posture standing, then run the tape around your waist. With the tape in place, make sure you are breathing normally. The rest of the tape should rest on the floor, while the circumference around your waist should fit properly around your waist. Make sure it is not too tight or too loose. Also, make sure the tape is not twisted.
Read the measurement
The next step is to read the measurement of the tape. The number to look out for is where the zero marking meets the last number that connects to it on the other side. The number may be in inches or centimeters, depending on the type of tape you use. Some tapes have both inches and centimeters.
Do a recheck
Do not be in a hurry to conclude the process but do a recheck to be sure you got the measurement right the first time. Do it a third time if you have to.
What your result could mean
After running the check, you have to interpret the result. The healthy size for men is not the same as for women. The maximum healthy waist size for a man is 94 centimeters (37 inches), but for women, it is 80 centimeters (31.3 inches). If your size exceeds the maximum inches acceptable, then this may be an indication that you have a serious medical condition and should see a doctor immediately. It may be that you are vulnerable to stroke, heart disease, or any other medical condition. People with a size above the average size for their sex may also be vulnerable to diabetes.
Consulting your doctor should be your next decision, and do not delay the appointment for any reason. However, if your waistline falls within the acceptable size frame, then you have nothing to worry about. You only need to be mindful of your lifestyle moving forward, so you don’t accumulate more fat.
How to maintain a healthy weight
Here are some steps to take to maintain a healthy weight.
Eat right
The first and most effective way to maintain a healthy weight is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. It is much easier to maintain a healthy weight through dieting than to shed weight through exercise. Avoid fatty food as much as you can and cut down on sugar intake.
Drink enough water
Inculcate the habit of drinking enough water during the day and night before you go to bed. Drinking enough water will improve metabolism, strengthen your digestive tract and flush out toxins.
Regular exercises
No matter how busy your schedule may be, make it a habit of exercising regularly. Even if you exercise for only a few minutes daily, as long as you are consistent with it, you should be fine. As you exercise, also ensure you do abdominals to burn out excess fat in your stomach and waist area.
In this post, we have shown you how to measure your waist. We have also provided useful tips on how to maintain a healthy weight. If you follow them dutifully, you should be able to keep your weight under control.
How to measure your waist FAQ
What is the biggest factor that causes waist size increase?
Abdominal visceral fat in between the internal organs causes waist size to increase.
What do I need to measure my waist size?
All you need is an inch/centimeter tape rule for the measurement.
Can I measure my waist myself?
Of course, you can, but a little help from someone else is not a bad idea.
