Indices of health change. One day we are told BMI is the exact reflector of your health, and the next day it is replaced by the body fat calculator. One day we are told that it is all right to get your sugar level tested simply, and the next day we are told that the tests are not adequate to understand the complexities of glucose percentage in our bodies.

However, one index of health, especially for women, which still holds is the waist-hip ratio. It indicates the state of the health of your heart.

What is the right way of measuring the waist-hip ratio? You can do it yourself. With just a tape measure and a little maths.

It is best to measure your bare body. For the waist, measure the widest part of your waist, stretching the tape across the belly-button. Don’t tighten the tape around your body. Breathe in and measure yourself as you exhale.

For the hip measurement, Wrap the tape around the widest part of your hips. 

Measurements should be in inches.

Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. If the ratio is greater than 1, which simply means your waist measures more than your hip, then you run a higher than normal risk of developing heart disease.

The right waist-hip ratio for women is .8 or less and for men is .9 or less.

So if your waist measures 28 inches and your hips 36 inches, you are fine, but if the waist measures 30 and the hips the same, you have excess waist.

So work on your waistline.

Also, it is said that a woman’s sex appeal depends on the waist-hip ratio, as it is indicative not only of her heart-health but also her fertility. 

And the message is sent to men unobtrusively as she just walks past. Nature has its strange ways.