Measure up

As the circumference of your waist is a good indicator of your body fat – in particular, of your internal fat deposits – it is important to know how you measure up. Australian government guidelines suggest that women have a high risk of developing weightrelated conditions, such as heart attack and type 2 diabetes, if their waists are equal to or more than 88cm. Men are at a high risk of developing these conditions when their waists are equal to or more than 102cm.

To get a gauge of your risk levels, the government recommends measuring your waist circumference by:

STEP 1

Placing the tape measure directly on your skin, or over no more than one layer of light clothing. (The correct place to measure your waist is halfway between your lowest rib and the top of your hipbone. This is roughly in line with your belly button.)

STEP 2 Breathing out normally and

measuring.