In this Article:
01: Why is your waist size important? 02: How to measure your waist size 03: What is a healthy waist size?04: How to reduce your waist measurements 05: Keep track of your habits with Holly Health06:
Why is your waist size important?
Simply put, having a larger waist measurement increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. That’s because extra weight across your torso allows fat to build up around your organs, particularly your liver and pancreas. This increases insulin resistance, which is when the cells in your muscles, fat, and organs don’t respond to insulin as they should. When this happens, the insulin your body produces doesn’t work properly, increasing your chance of having high blood glucose (sugar).
Your overall weight and body mass index (BMI) can, and should be, kept at healthy levels, but you may still be at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you have a larger waist measurement.
How to measure your waist size
Measuring your waist size takes less than a minute and all you need is a tape measure.
To get an accurate reading, you need find the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your ribcage. The middle of these two points is where you should measure, and for a lot of people, the belly button is around the correct place to start.
What is a healthy waist size?
A healthy waist size depends on your gender and ethnicity. For a healthy waist measurement, you need to aim to be less than:
80cm (31.5in) for all women
94cm (37in) for most men
90cm (35in) for black or South Asian men
This is because there is a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you are of a black African, Afro-Caribbean, or South Asian background.
How to reduce your waist measurements
Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes when it comes to reducing your waist size. As always, eating a balanced diet and taking part in regular exercise will help.
You can also start by making some realistic, achievable lifestyle changes. Here are three recommendations:
Set clear, achievable exercise goals – try walking for longer or more regularly or taking up a new activity, like swimming or running
Plan ahead for the week – set your exercise goals and come up with an eating plan for the week ahead to make it easier to stick to
Start by making small changes – don’t try and do too much too soon, start small and with something you enjoy, you can just do a little more each day
Implementing the above into your daily and weekly routines will increase the likelihood of sticking to your goals. Just remember, making small changes to your routine won’t have such a big impact initially, but they can make it easier to reach your targets in the long run.
Keep track of your habits with Holly Health
Forming new habits is vital for people with or at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and that’s where Holly Health can help. This app provides digital health coaching for chronic conditions, covering your physical, mental, and general wellbeing.
You can find it in our Health App Hub in partnership with Orcha, alongside a host of other helpful resources for living with type 2 diabetes.
