Get hip! Several studies have indicated that a high waist-to-hip ratio is significantly associated with stroke, coronary artery disease and other causes of premature death. Women characteristically retain more fat around the thighs, hips and buttocks. Men hold more fat in their “pot” bellies and neck.
For every inch that your waist measurement exceeds that of your chest, your life expectancy may decrease by two years. That’s according to some findings.
You can use the tape measure as a guide but not as a conclusive examination. Your muscles may be getting bigger as you lose weight (particularly if you exercise properly), and this can result in some minor shifts in actual measurements.
Take a tape measure and note the circumference of your chest (women measure from beneath the breast). Your chest should be at least six to eight inches bigger than your waist. If not, you may need to lose some weight. If you don’t have a tape measure, use a large piece of string or dental floss.
Doctors and researchers alike believe that it isn’t so much the amount of fat we carry that determines the risk of obesity, but more so where that fat is actually stored. Hence, interior fat is much more dangerous than exterior fat. Individuals holding more fat in the abdominal region are at greater risk than those storing it peripherally on the thighs, hips, buttocks and upper arms. This is because the intestines, heart and vital organs are within this area.
Here are two tests you can try on “for size” at home.
EXAM #1
This first one is a quick and easy way to calculate your hip-to-waist ratio.
1. Simply measure your waist and hips in a relaxed state.
2. Now, divide this measurement by your hips measurement. Ratios of 1.0 for men and 0.8 for women are the highest ratios, from a healthy standpoint.
3. If your individual ratio is substantially higher than this, you clearly need to lose weight.
EXAM #2
CHEST TO WAIST
1. While taking a deep breath and using a tape measure, measure your expanded chest size with the tape tightly wound and under the armpits.
2. Now, measure your waist at navel height, with your stomach relaxed. Gentlemen: Your chest measurement should be at least five inches greater than the relaxed waist measurement. Ladies: Your expanded chest measurement should be about ten inches or more than your waist.
3. Unless you’re particularly overweight, there should be a considerable difference between your expanded chest measurement and your waist measurement.
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