Women, your waist-to-hip ratio can reveal how healthy you are!

If you are worried about your well-being and staying healthy for the rest of your life, a simple test can reveal your fitness levels. It’s all hidden in your waist-to-hip ratio. Women often wish to get that hourglass figure and there is a scientific reason for why this is desirable and healthy. Here’s why. Also read - tips for an hourglass figure. A woman with an ideal waist-to-hip ratio will have an overall better health. This is because, this ratio is an indicator of fertility, strength and fitness. Explains celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in her book ‘Women & The Weight Loss Tamasha’, it doesn’t matter if your built is slim or large, as long as you have the ideal ratio i.e. 0.7, you fall in the healthy category. She adds that to maintain this ratio, you need to have optimum body fat levels. If you have more visceral fat (fat around the abdomen), you are less likely to maintain this ratio and this in turn can be a cause of other health issues such as PCOD, diabetes, etc. On the other hand, women who maintain this proportion are likely to have better fitness and immunity levels, a healthy metabolic rate, hormonal harmony and good skin, hair and nails too. How to measure?

• Get an inch tape and measure the narrowest part of your waist (above your navel).
• Next measure the broadest part of your hips.
• Now divide the number to get your ratio.
• If it is between 0.7-0.8, you are healthy.

A word of caution – To get the ideal waist-to-hip ratio, do not rely on crash diets or quick weight loss methods as these do more harm than good. Incorporate exercise and a healthy diet in your daily routine to lose weight the right way and flaunt a body that is beautiful from the outside and the inside. Read - 10 yoga poses for a flat belly. Image source: Shutterstock

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