A thin wasp waist is the dream of many women. And it’s not just about the aesthetic component, which is undoubtedly important. It turns out that waist circumference is an important indicator that you need to know not only when choosing clothes. It is also an important marker that can communicate health among both women and men. So if, after reading the article and taking measurements, it turns out that the indicators leave much to be desired, this is a reason to think about your health, play sports and reconsider your diet.
How to measure waist circumference?
Taking the necessary measurements is not at all difficult. To do this, you need an ordinary measuring tape, which is found in almost every home where they like to sew or play sports. It is better if the tape is as soft as possible.
The waist circumference should be measured at the narrowest point. Depending on the type of figure, this place can be either closer to the chest (high waist) or closer to the level of the hips (low waist). In most cases, the narrowest part of the torso is at the level of the navel. If the waist is convex rather than concave, for example in pregnant women or overweight women, then the correct result can be obtained by measuring a couple of centimeters above the navel.
The correct position for measuring is to stand straight (preferably near a mirror) and lower your arms down. It is not recommended to measure your waist circumference while sitting. There is no need to strain your body and deceive yourself by sucking in your stomach. Body weight should be evenly distributed. Posture should also be typical for a person. You should not take measurements over clothing - the measurement result may be somewhat distorted.
Measuring your waist takes less than a minute! You need to wrap the meter around your waist parallel to the floor and slowly exhale the air. It is important that the measuring tape does not cut into the skin; do not wrap your waist too tightly. The mark on the tape that coincides with zero is the waist circumference.
It is better to take the measurement twice, and if the data does not match, the average result is taken.
OTHER METHODS OF MEASUREMENT
There is one method for determining the exact location of the narrowest part of the body. You need to tie a tourniquet or thin elastic band around your waist. Now you can move in any way. You can dance, do squats, or just walk around for a few minutes. The elastic band itself will take the correct position, in the narrowest place. Now you can measure.
You can use trousers or a skirt that fit very well. It is enough to fasten the item and lay it out on a flat surface. Now you need to measure the waistband of the product using tape, from edge to edge, passing under the button along the inside of the belt. After that, all that remains is to multiply the result by two!
The waist measurement methods discussed above will help you find out one of the most important body parameters for women and men. The girth of this part can become a barometer of the state of the body and warn in time about the need to take care of your health.
Generally accepted standards
In men more than 102 cm, waist circumference more than 88 cm in women - a warning about possible health risks (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes). The norm can be considered for men - up to 94 cm, for women - up to 80 cm.
If we talk about the aesthetic component, in most countries of the world women with a waist size of less than 70 cm are considered attractive. Researchers have found that every extra 5 cm in the waist area increases the possibility of premature death by 17% in men and 13% in women.
HOW TO GET A NARROW WAIST FOR A MAN: EXERCISES
As many men age, they develop excess weight around the waist, known as abdominal obesity. To combat excess belly fat, experts advise following a diet and increasing your activity level, paying special attention to cardio.
- Aerobic cardio training
Aerobic training is the main way to lose weight and remove belly fat. Cardio exercise helps you lose weight throughout your body, and for men, belly fat is usually the first to be burned. To get results, you need at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week. These activities include walking, running, team sports, swimming, and cycling.
- Crunches
The oblique muscles on the sides of the waist help a man to pump up his abs and trim his sides. This exercise has several variations, one of which can be seen in the video. Perform 20 repetitions on each side.
- Turns
Another useful exercise that will help get rid of the sides and pump up a man’s waist. Do it as shown in the video. Start with 10 repetitions, gradually increasing the number of repetitions to 20-25, and the number of approaches to three.
- Diagonal crunches
This is a more challenging alternative to the previous exercises. Lie on the floor and bend your knees, raising them parallel to the floor. Place your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows straight without pushing them forward. Twist your body to the right, bringing your left knee toward your chest, bringing your right elbow closer to your left knee. Repeat the same with the other leg. Do 20 times. If this exercise is still difficult, you can replace it with a “bicycle”, simulating riding with your feet while lying on your back. Additionally, you can do a plank.
HOW TO REDUCE A MAN'S WAIST BY LOSSING WEIGHT
Men tend to accumulate fat in the abdominal area, and a waist width of more than 102 cm increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. To remove fat from your sides and waist, you need to lose excess weight throughout your body. A healthy, reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise are the main methods to achieve a thinner, narrower waist in men.
- Calories
By burning more calories than your body takes in daily, you can lose excess weight. You can't lose weight in just one part of the body, the weight will be lost throughout the body. By reducing your daily intake by 500-1000 calories, you can safely lose weight by 400-900 grams per week. This calorie deficit can be created by changing your diet, increasing your exercise, or a combination of both. With weight loss, the overall amount of fat in your body will decrease, including a decrease in the circumference around your waist. Typically, men begin to lose weight by consuming between 1,200 and 1,600 calories per day.
- Diet
Although exercise burns calories and fat, changing your diet can be just as beneficial for gradual weight loss. Calories from sugar, which are present in foods and drinks such as cookies, donuts, soda, candy, and baked goods, significantly contribute to the deposition of fat around the waist. Eating small portions and replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods can speed up and make weight loss easier. Nutrients should mostly come from lean meats, lean fish, vegetables and fruits.
We measure more than just the waist
Once you measure your waist, you can also measure your hip size. The volume of the hips is measured with a measuring tape according to similar principles to waist measurements (stand straight, do not “tighten” the meter), but along the widest part of the buttocks. The correspondence between waist size and hip size is a popular indicator in the West that helps experts judge a person’s health and, to some extent, speaks about his attractiveness. Thus, studies of twins have shown that this ratio in 22-61% of cases depends on genetic factors, and only then on nutrition and lifestyle.
How to determine clothing size by hip size: table
In this section we attach a table of correspondence between sizes and volumes of men and women.
Important: the article provides a standard sizing chart. The manufacturer has the right to change the size chart at its discretion. When choosing clothes on the Internet, we strongly recommend that you compare your measurements with the measurements given in the product card.
How to determine clothing size based on hip size: women's size chart
How to determine clothing size by hip size: men's size chart
How to determine clothing size by hip volume: table of women's jeans
We hope you liked our article, you have found your size and are heading into the world of online shopping.
Waist and hip circumference as an indicator of reproduction
Women with thin waists have better health, they are less likely to suffer from infertility and diseases of the genitourinary system. Waist-to-hip ratio appears to be linked to your ability to conceive and bear children. Men with a score of around 0.9 have the best chance of conceiving, while women with a score of 0.8 or higher have a significantly greater chance of becoming pregnant naturally. Research suggests that among girls of the same weight, lower waist and hip measurements result in earlier puberty. This manifests itself in the growth of hormones.
A Dutch study of artificial insemination back in 1993 showed that the chances of getting pregnant are higher in women with a low waist-hip measurement. It is noted that with an increase in the indicator by 0.1 unit, the probability of conception in a cycle decreases by 30% (data obtained taking into account adjustments for age, weight, and the reason for artificial insemination). This can be confirmed by the fact that in African countries, where the canons of beauty are different from European ones, women have fairly full hips (for example, 135 cm), but at the same time their waist is clearly defined and noticeably narrower than their hips (for example, 100 cm). If you divide 100 by 135, you get 0.74 - a good indicator for having children.
What is abdominal visceral obesity
To understand whether a person suffers from this type of obesity, it is necessary to know the size of the waist and hips. Measurements are taken with an ordinary tailor's centimeter, placing the tape 2 cm above the level of the umbilical line. This is how the waist circumference is measured. Hips are measured at their widest part.
If the ratio of these values is less than 1, then this indicates the absence of abdominal-visceral obesity. If the index exceeds 1, then you should worry about your health.
Obesity can be detected in other ways. To do this, squeeze the fold of fat on your stomach between two fingers. If it is more than 2 cm, then you should seriously think about losing weight.
Abdominal-visceral obesity is most common in men. In this case, fat forms around the internal organs. In the future, this can lead to impaired glucose metabolism and the development of diabetes mellitus. Fat metabolism is also disrupted, which leads to hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular pathologies.
The following types of fat deposits in the waist area in men can be distinguished:
- Loose belly . This indicates excess fat under the skin.
- Ball-shaped belly . A firm abdominal wall does not mean a lack of fat. In this case, fat accumulations are deposited mainly on the internal organs.
- "Beer Belly" . This also indicates obesity in the area of internal organs. In this case, the stomach has an egg shape.
Abdominal obesity
Most often, such obesity occurs in men after 30-35 years, when testosterone production in the body decreases.
