Waist Measurement Chart
How do you know that a person is obese? With two simple measures, body mass index and waist circumference. Body mass index and waist measurement are the useful parameters to calculate obesity and body fat distribution. This article tells you how to measure waist and what does the waist measurement mean for your health.
Doctors and dietitians use
body mass index
(BMI) and waist measurement to assess a person’s risk of developing certain diseases, for instance, diabetes and heart disease. Today, 66 percent of adults in the United States are considered overweight or obese. Are you sure you are not among them? Let us first see how to measure waist.
How to Measure Waist
To measure your waist circumference:
- Stand straight and keep your heels together.
- Stand straight and bend to your side. The bend is your natural waist.
- Place a tape measure around your bare abdomen, around your waist, just above your hipbone.
- The tape should be snug (but not compressing your skin).
- The tape should be parallel to the floor.
- Keep your thumb behind the tape and do not pull it tight.
- Relax, exhale and measure your waist.
Normal Waist Measurement
Recommendations for ideal waist measurement may vary from place to place, as height affects the appearance of the figure. According to the studies, women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches or men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have higher chances of diseases than people with smaller waist measurements. A normal waist measurement for a woman is 32 inches or less and for a man, normal waist measurement is 38 inches or less. The ideal waist measurement also varies according to the height.
Ideal Waist Measurement for Women
Carrying fat mainly around your waist increases your risk of developing health problems. Fat around waist is more risky than fat in your hips and thighs. Even if your BMI falls within the normal range, fat around waist takes you towards the danger zone. The following waist measurement chart will explain the ideal waist measurements for women of different heights.
Height
Ideal Waist Line
Waist to Height Percentage 5 feet and 1inch
24 inches
39.5 5 feet and 2-3 inches
24-25 inches
39.5 5 feet and 3-4 inches
25- 25.3 inches
39.5 5 feet and 5 inches
25-25.5 inches
39.5 5 feet and 6 inches
27.50 inches
39.5 5 feet and 7 inches
27.75 inches
39.5 5 feet and 8 inches
27.80 inches
39.5 5 feet and 9-10 inches
27.85 inches
39.5 5 feet and 11inches – 6 feet
28 inches
39.5
Ideal Waist Measurement for Men
The following waist measurement chart for men will describe the ideal waist measurements for men of different heights.
Height
Ideal Waist Line
Waist to Height Percentage 5 feet and 5-6 inches
28.5 inches
46 5 feet and 7 inches
31 inches
46 5 feet and 8 inches
31.2 inches
46 5 feet and 9 inches
31.7 inches
46 5 feet and 10 inches
32 inches
46 5 feet and 11 inches
32.6 inches
46
6 feet
33.1 inches
46 6 feet and 2 inches
34 inches
46 6 feet and 4 inches
35 inches
46
You may use the following average waist measurement ratios for comparison:
Subject
Waist to Height Ratio
Barbie Doll
25.0 %
Ken Doll
36.0 %
College Swimmers, female
42.4 %
College Swimmers, male
42.8 %
Cut off for increased risk females
49.2 %
General healthy cut off
50.0 %
WHO increased risk, males
53.6 %
WHO substantially increased risk, females
54.1 %
WHO substantially increased risk, males 58.2 % The aging process and genetic factors have a tremendous impact on a person’s body shape. A woman’s sex hormone levels determine the fat distribution on her body. But still, with the help of balanced diet and regular waist exercises you can have normal waist measurement. You can always spend at least 10 minutes a day, focusing on your health, so that you can live healthier and longer.
Read more on:
- Best Waist Exercises
- Workouts for Love Handles
Waist Hip Ratio
A person’s waist measurement is divided by the hip measurement to obtain the waist-hip ratio (WHR). Researchers have studied and concluded that the waist-hip ratio of any build is very strongly correlated to the perception of attractiveness across all cultures. Women with a 0.7 WHR (waist circumference which is 70% of the hip circumference) are usually considered as more attractive by men from European cultures. Beauty queens Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and the Venus de Milo had WHRs around 0.7!
After reading about waist measurement, I am sure you are going to start exercising seriously. Exercise will also make you active and happy. You only decide, which body shape you want, apple, banana, pear or hourglass. Only a little bit of discipline and control over mind is needed.
