Shapely bodies and good health
There is something to be said about shapely bodies and ungainly shapes. The former is the envy of many and the latter the despair of a good majority. There is nothing more attractive a sight than a shapely woman or a well-proportioned male walking by a horde of onlookers or be the gaze of the audience in a fashion show.
Most of the youth lead an active life and move about a lot to have more or less even shapes. It’s the sedentary life of desk-job professionals and the not so active routine of the middle-aged that have settled to a cozy and luxurious lifestyle, whose bodies start rebelling by showing up in such oddly formed distorted shapes that the owners of the bodies would dread to look at themselves in full-length mirrors. But of more concern is the health aspect that is overlooked initially but gains importance as the loss of breath, palpitations, sharp pains to heart burn and blood pressure related problems crop up.
Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
A portly belly on the lean legs of a man or the lumps of cellulite on women’s thighs, butt and hips are considered anywhere from mildly bothersome and repulsive to alarming. Doctors have widely advocated that going by the disproportionate accumulation of fat in certain areas like waist and hips are reliable indicators that things were getting out of hand and if attention not be paid, the risk to health was tremendous.
The waist to hip ratio or WTH ratio is commonly used to measure fat distribution.
Waist to hip ratio helps to record weight in a weight loss program, but more importantly warns about potential health risk related to overweight, like heart disease, stroke or diabetes.
One has to know one’s body shape and then refer to the chart that tells about the waist to hip ratio.
If you want to know what your body shape says about your health, you have know your body shape and
then the waist to hip ratio as listed below:
Females
| Shape of the body | WTH | Condition |
| Pear shaped | 0.8 or below | Low health risk |
| Avocado shaped | 0.81 to 0.85 | Moderate health risk |
| Apple shaped | Above 0.85 | High health risk |
Males
| Shape of the body | WTH | Condition |
| Pear shaped | 0.95 or below | Low health risk |
| Avocado shaped | 0.96 to 1.0 | Moderate health risk |
| Apple shaped | Above 1.0 | High health risk |
Finding your correct measurements
- Encircle your measuring tape at the smallest circumference of your natural waist that lies just above your belly button and note down the measurements.
- Use the same measuring tape to measure your hip circumference that is the widest part of your buttocks and note it down as well.
- For determining the ratio, simply divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement and tally it with the appropriate chart provided for both women and men. See where your number lies in the waist to hip ratio chart to know your health risks level.
Combined effect of Body Shape and WTH
Our waist to hip ratio and body shapes have a great impact on our health. The determining factor of body fat lies in the exact storage location of it. It can make you look plump even when you are lean or lean when you are heavy.
1. Pear Body Shape
Women with a waist to hip ratio of about 0.80 or below and men of about 0.95 or below are consider to have a pear body shape. People with a pear body have a well-defined waist. Like the fruit, they have a heavy bottom. Despite the ample bottom which is actually a gift of subcutaneous fat rather than visceral fat, it minimizes the chances of health hazards like heart attacks or diabetes in a person.
- In females, a pear shape body almost kills off chances of infertility and boosts conception, which is a good thing. But with it also come light problems regarding blood circulation that could be poor and also fluid retention especially in ankles and feet. Other than that, high levels of oestrogen increases the risks of breast cancer.
- According to scientific researches, a person having a pear body has trouble in losing weight when compared to other body shapes like apple.
2. Avocado Body Shape
Women with a WHT ratio of about 0.81 to 0.85 and men of about 0.96 to 1.0 have an avocado body shape. With a wide chest, wide hips and no such accentuated waist, it cannot be considered as slender, rather very stocky.
- With the even distribution of fat in the body, these people are free from the health troubles related to visceral fat.
- According to the natural therapists, this body shape is influenced by the inefficient thyroid in the body, making easy to gain weight but very difficult to lose it. They may put on weight while suffering from emotional states such as anger and depression, paving way for heart troubles.
- It has also been noticed that to such people, stress comes with no effort, interfering with sleep and physical activities. It has been seen that with every stress spurt, the liver releases fats into the blood vessels, increasing their chance to develop plaques related to arteries.
These people are low on energy and are easily fatigued. Also they are prone to mood swings.
3. Apple Body Shape
Women with a WTH ratio above 0.85 and men above 1.0 are considered to have an apple body shape. In this case, the weight is focused on the person’s abdominal and hip area, foregoing the limbs. The fat on their tummy area can be a play of hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen, along with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin and mood enhancers like dopamine, in the body.
Females with an apple body shape can have a little high level of male hormones or androgens making their tummy bulging out and buttock small.
- Having an apple body shape indicates a stressed out lifestyle, wrong eating habits and a little or no exercise, for woman and men alike.
- There are many health risks surrounding people having this body shape. Research states that the plump belly is all due to the accumulation of hazardous visceral fat which poses threats, such as colon and breast cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure.
- Alarming yes! But, as a good sign, apple body shapes are most likely to lose weight easily when compared to other body shapes.
Interesting Info? Look into your mirror and find out your body shape and then take the measurements as suggested. Know your WTH and if it is good news keep it that way for life by monitoring and enjoy a healthy life throughout.
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