A combination of things happens as we age. We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
Causes of a High Waist Circumference
A larger waist circumference is often caused by intra-abdominal visceral fat. Visceral fat is fat that develops between and around internal organs. This type of fat differs from "regular" fat that sits just beneath the skin and can be pinched.
Waist circumference is a good measure of fat around your middle. This type of fat builds up around your organs, and is linked to high blood fat levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. A larger waist usually also means there is excess fat inside your organs.
While I love targeting the waist with core exercises that can tighten and tone the midsection, it's important to know that it's not possible to spot-reduce or slim down just one area of the body. Slimming your waist isn't just about toning the muscles in that area — it also requires losing fat.
Stress elevates cortisol, which is linked to fat storage in the waist area. Commit to a fitness program so you can burn off stress as well as calories—a twofer slimming effect on your middle. What do diet soda, exposure to traffic, and long commutes have in common? All contribute to a wider waist.
For your best health, your waist should be less than 40 inches around for men, and less than 35 inches for women, although it may vary depending on race or ethnicity. If it's larger than that, you may want to talk with your doctor about what your next steps are, including losing weight.
So if you lose 1lb (0.45kg) a week you could hope to reduce your waistline by an inch after four weeks.
Waist Circumference
If most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips, you're at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men.
What causes visceral fat? Fat gets stored when you consume too many calories and have too little physical activity. Some people tend to store fat around their belly rather than on the hips because of their genes. In women, getting older can change where the body stores fat.
If your waist is bigger than your hips, than you may have too much fat concentrated around the middle part of your body - something known as "intra-abdominal obesity". This type of fat location is related to a higher chance of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Men and women should keep their waist circumference, no more than half their height. A ratio of 0.5 or lower is often considered healthy, indicating that your waist circumference is less than half your height.
Other studies have found a link between a woman's waist to hip ratio and her fertility, offering some explanation as to why, alongside breasts, waist size is viewed as important by men selecting a mate.
Fat tissue accumulates around your waistline, and also farther inside around your abdominal organs. 'Middle-aged spread' is, unfortunately, part of the ageing process.
But losing weight overall will help shrink your waistline; more importantly, it will help reduce the dangerous layer of visceral fat, a type of fat within the abdominal cavity that you can't see but that heightens health risks, says Kerry Stewart, Ed.D. , director of Clinical and Research Physiology at Johns Hopkins.
How many pounds to lose an inch? In general, it takes about 8 pounds to lose your first inch. That is because most of it will be water weight. A more rapid drop of your pounds in the first weeks of your journey is normal, precisely because of water weight.
The same goes for waist measurements – the fluctuations of the mid-abdomen waist circumference range between 1.5″-2″ (4-5 cm) while breathing in and out, equally for all groups of people.
✅ Do Russian twists make waist smaller? Not only are Russian twists bad for your back but they also do not help with fat loss and reducing your midsection. To reduce your waist use full body exercises to burn calories and a well balanced diet.
Likewise, models can be older but agencies and clients tend to like their models looking younger and more youthful. Height is typically between 5'9″-6″, bust is between 32″-36″, waist is between 22″-26″, and hips should be between 33″-35″.
Waist-to-height ratio.
Ideally, your waist measurement should be less than half of your height. (So if you're 5 foot 6, or 66 inches, your waist circumference should be less than 33 inches.)
You are healthy! Ashwell has proposed that governments adopt a simple public health message: “Keep your waist to less than half your height.” That means someone who is 5 foot 5 (65 inches; 167.64 centimeters) should maintain a waistline smaller than 33 inches or 84 centimeters.
The waistband should not be so tight that fastening it requires much force or so loose that it sags and requires a belt to keep the pants up. The goal is to achieve a clean, polished appearance while feeling comfortable.