Thin wasp waist is the dream of many women. And it's not just 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 for he alth in 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 an occasion to think about your he alth, go in for sports and reconsider your diet.
How to measure your waist?
It is not difficult to make the necessary measurements. To do this, you need an ordinary centimeter tape, which is in almost every home where they like to sew or play sports. It is better if the tape is as soft as possible.
Waist must 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 and not concave, for example, in pregnant women or if they are overweight, then the correct result can be obtained if you take a measurement for a couplecentimeters above the navel.
The correct position for measuring is to stand up straight (better near the mirror) and put your hands down. It is not recommended to measure the waist circumference while sitting. No need to strain the body and deceive yourself by pulling in the stomach. Body weight should be evenly distributed. Posture should also be typical for a person. Do not take measurements over clothing - the measurement result may be slightly distorted.
Waist measurement takes less than a minute! You need to wrap the meter around the 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 the waist too tight. The mark on the tape, coinciding with zero, is the waist circumference.
It is better to measure twice, and if the data does not match, the average result is taken.
What do the numbers say?
Waist circumference is the basis for calculating indicators such as the waist-hip index or the waist-height index. An overestimated indicator indicates an increased risk to human he alth. If fat accumulates in the waist area, then most likely the person has an excess of visceral fat, which envelops the internal organs. Such fat is the cause of inflammation and the development of many diseases (diabetes, coronary heart disease and other diseases of the cardiovascular system, hypertension, cancer).
Generally accepted norms
Men over 102 cm, waist circumference over 88 cm in women - warning of possible he alth risks (cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes). The norm can be considered in men - up to 94 cm, in women - up to 80see
If we talk about the aesthetic component, then in most countries of the world, women with a waist circumference of less than 70 cm are considered attractive. Researchers have found that every extra 5 cm in the waist area increases the risk of premature death by 17% in men and 13 % in women.
We measure not only the waist
By measuring your waist, you can also measure your hips. The volume of the hips is measured with a centimeter tape according to the same principles for measuring the waist (stand straight, do not "tighten" the meter), but along the widest part of the buttocks. Correspondence of waist to hips is a popular indicator in the West, which helps specialists to judge a person's he alth and to some extent speaks of his attractiveness. So twin studies have shown that this ratio in 22-61% of cases depends on genetic factors, and only then on nutrition and lifestyle.
Waist and hips as an indicator of fertility
Women with a thin waist have better he alth, they are less likely to suffer from infertility and diseases of the urinary system. The waist-to-hip ratio appears to be related to the ability to conceive and give birth to a child. Men with a score around 0.9 have the best chance of conceiving a child, and women with a score of 0.8 or higher have a significantly greater chance of getting pregnant naturally. Studies show that among girls of the same weight, with a lower waist and hip measurement, earlier puberty occurs.maturation. This is manifested in the growth of hormones.
A Dutch IVF study back in 1993 showed women with low waist-hip measurements were more likely to get pregnant. It was noted that with an increase in the indicator by 0.1 unit, the probability of conception in the cycle decreases by 30% (the data were obtained taking into account the correction 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 rather full hips (for example, 135 cm), but at the same time their waist is clearly defined and noticeably narrower than the hips (for example, 100 cm). If you divide 100 by 135, you get 0.74 - a good indicator for having children.
