Measure the waist - How to measure the waist circumference

The waist circumference is an important reference measure for a variety of uses. It is used in fashion and clothing to allow for a fit fit. For example, designers use this information if they are looking for a model that does not exceed or exceed a certain size. In addition, the size of the center of the body is important in order to be able to assess potential health problems in advance. No matter what reason you need the circumference of your waist, the measuring is not difficult and can be implemented alone or in pairs without problems. A big advantage of this is that measuring is not a huge amount of time.

Before you measure your midsection, you have to make some preparations so that the result is not falsified and you do not accidentally buy a shirt that is too big. Especially if you have a specific fitness goal in mind, it is important to measure properly so that you do not stress when the tape measure says your abdominal girth is suddenly greater than last month. For measuring, you only need a measuring tape that can be fitted tightly to the body, ie no extendable tape measure from the workshop. The following points have to be considered:

1. Always measure with an unclothed upper body. Even a T-shirt can negatively affect the measurement result. This is especially important because frequent measurement errors are due to clothing, but many people ignore it.

2. The waist circumference should be measured best in the morning, even before breakfast. This point should be clear, but many people compete in the evening after eating throughout the day. Likewise, you should not take too much liquid, as high amounts of water and other drinks also lead to a bloated stomach. Even on the coffee you should refrain before.

3. If you want to lose weight or have to check your size over and over again due to medical reasons, you should do so on a monthly basis. Abdominal fat takes a while to degrade, so weekly measurement would not be productive.

Measure waist - instructions

After the preparation, you can now measure your waist circumference. All you have to do is follow this guide:

Step 1: First, find your body center. The waist is between the hipbones and chest and does not have ribs. The point to be measured sits directly above the belly button and under the last rib. If you look at it from the front in the mirror, it is the thinner spot above the belly button.

Step 2: Now relax your abdominal muscles and stand relaxed straight. Be sure to breathe out but do not breathe in afterwards.

3rd step: Now the tape measure is created. Do not be frightened, but sometimes the piece of metal on the measuring tape can be cool. If you yourself have problems making the tape, you should use a second person.

Step 4: Pass the measuring tape completely around the waist until you reach the end of the band again. Now you should look again, if it is twisted in one place and repair accordingly.

Step 5: Read the result and make a note of it. Now you know about your waist size.

Still looking for more information and tips on measuring body measurements "> Measure body measurements

Why is the waist size important?

In the case of men, the body center is usually only in conversation when it comes to abdominal muscles or shirts and jackets for a suit. Yes, for clothing and sports, the measure is very important, as only through this progress can be tracked and garments adapted. Did you know that the scope has another, very important reason? We are talking about your health. The circumference of the body center can be used on the basis of standard values ​​in order to be able to determine possible health problems. The following values ​​for men and women of all sizes from the age of 17 years are to be considered:

• Women: 80 cm
• Men: 94 cm and 102 cm

From a circumference of the body center of 80 cm in women can set itself slight health risks, which can become more serious with each centimeter. In men, this occurs from 94 cm and from 102 cm, even severe health risks can occur. These include:

• increased risk of strokes
• increased risk of heart disease
• Type II diabetes risk
• increased risk of cancer

The death rate from a too high circumference of the waist increases to 13 to 17 percent, which of course depends on the amount of "belly fat". The more fat is present, the more messenger and toxins are stored and continuously delivered to the body. Therefore, the fat should be necessarily reduced at too high a value. Often the waist-hip ratio is also out of joint and the BMI in many cases over 25. The extent of the center of the body provides information about possible problems that you might encounter through fat on the stomach, but helps you, incidentally, the matching garments find or adapt. However, if you have one or more of the following conditions and are not overweight, the above values ​​will not apply:

• You are pregnant
• medical predispositions that cause an inflated body center, for example, chronic bowel problems
• They are ill and therefore bloated

It may even happen that your hips are naturally wider. This occurs especially in cultures from the Southeast Asian or Oceanic region, such as:

• Japanese
• Chinese
• Korean
• Indonesian
• Aborigines

Even people who have a parent from this part of the world can have a larger waistline from birth. This should be strictly observed during the measurement.

Tips: In children, certain waist sizes are also, but only from the age of 12 months, since infants must never be too thin. For the first sixteen years, there are different values ​​for each year: for example, a 10-year-old child should not exceed 62 cm in circumference, while for a 3-year-old, 52 to 53 cm should be the upper limit.