Measure Your Waist

Knowing your waist measurement is useful for various reasons, including health assessments (Measure Your Waist to Height Ratio) and fitting clothes. Read this wikiHow to learn how to measure your waist.

10 Second Summary

1. Remove or raise your clothing.
2. Find your waist.
3. Stand up straight and exhale slowly.
4. Hold the end of the tape measure at your navel.
5. Bring it around your back to the front.
6. Read the tape measure.

Steps

1. Remove or raise clothing. Remove your shirt or lift it to just below your chest. To get an accurate measurement, you need to ensure that the tape measure is resting against your bare stomach, so you should remove any layers of clothing blocking your waist.
2. Find your waist. Use your fingers to find the top of your hips and the base of your rib cage. Your waist is the soft, fleshy section between these two bony parts. It will also be the narrowest part of your torso.
3. Take your measurement. Stand up straight and exhale slowly. Hold the end of the tape measure at your navel and circle it around your back to the front. The measuring tape should be parallel to the floor and fit snugly around your torso without digging into your skin.
4. Read the tape. Look at the place on the tape where the zero end meets the other end of the tape measure. The location of this meeting point is your waist measurement.
5. Double-check your measurement. Repeat the measurement once more to ensure the accuracy of your original measurement. If it is different from the first time, measure for a third time and take the average of the three numbers.

Tips

• If you want to track changes, measure your waist monthly. This can be useful for monitoring your health or any changes to weight if you need to wear tailored clothing for a special occasion such as a wedding, a prom, or a play, etc.
• Waist measurements play a big role in your health. Women should have a measurement less than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} and men should have a waist less than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}.

Related Articles

• Get a Smaller Waist
• Calculate Your Waist to Hip Ratio
• Take in a Dress at the Waist
• Create a Waistline
• Convert Measurements Easily in Microsoft Excel
• Read a Measuring Tape
• Take Body Measurements
• Take Clothing Measurements

Sources and Citations

• Original source of article, http://www.howcast.com/videos/396531-How-To-Measure-Waist-Circumference. Shared with permission.

See also

• Improve Your Fitness With Proper Sports Nutrition
• Do Water Aerobics
• Cross Train
• Choose a Personal Trainer
• Get Exercise Outdoors
• Do Core Exercises
• Make a Fidget Quilt
• Insert Elastic Into Pant Legs
• Measure Your Thighs
• Wear a Fitbit

Read more ...

What links here

• Measure Your Inseam
• Fold a Cloth Diaper
• Start Waist Training