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Welcome to the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Healthy Waist website. Here you will find information on the importance of keeping your waistline at a healthy size. Research studies show that if your waist exceeds a certain measurement, you may be at increased risk for heart disease and stroke.
Where you carry your weight is even more important than how much weight you carry. This two-minute video will help you determine if you're at risk for overweight-related diseases such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke by providing the proper steps to assess your waistline size with a measuring tape.
Watch a video on how
to take your waist measurement:
Can't see the video? View the QuickTime version.
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 Here's how to take a proper waist measurement
- Clear your abdominal area of any clothing, belts or accessories. Stand upright facing a mirror with your feet shoulder-width apart and your stomach relaxed. Wrap the measuring tape around your waist.
- Use the borders of your hands and index fingers – not your fingertips – to find the uppermost edge of your hipbones by pressing upwards and inwards along your hipbones.
Tip: Many people mistake an easily felt part of the hipbone located toward the front of their body as the top of their hips. This part of the bone is in fact not the top of the hip bones, but by following this spot upward and back toward the sides of your body, you should be able to locate the true top of your hipbones.
- Using the mirror, align the bottom edge of the measuring tape with the top of the hipbones on both sides of your body.
Tip: Once located, it may help to mark the top of your hipbones with a pen or felt-tip marker in order to aid you in correctly placing the tape.
- Make sure the tape is parallel to the floor and is not twisted.
- Relax and take two normal breaths. After the second breath out, tighten the tape around your waist. The tape should fit comfortably snug around the waist without depressing the skin.
Tip: Remember to keep your stomach relaxed at this point.
- Still breathing normally, take the reading on the tape.
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If your waistline measurement is greater than or close to the suggested amount according to your gender and ethnic background, speak to your healthcare provider about how to achieve a healthy weight through physical activity and healthy eating. Waist circumference is a strong predictor of your risk for these diseases along with other risk factors that you should speak with your healthcare provider about. For more information on prevention of risk factors, please click here. To receive heart-healthy recipes, nutrition and physical activity tips every month, subscribe to He@lthline, our free e-newsletter. To learn more about the health risks associated with you waist circumference, please visit www.cardiometabolic-risk.org/welcome.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation wishes to thank Robert Ross, PhD, Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies/Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Queen's University; and Jean-Pierre Després, PhD, FAHA, Scientific Director, International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk, Université Laval, for their expert consultation.
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Disclaimer
This information has been independently researched, written and reviewed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and is based on scientific evidence. Acceptance of financial support by the Heart and Stroke Foundation does not constitute an endorsement.
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