I did a talk this week about body measurements--what to measure, how to figure out different calculations, and why they are important. I think measurements are a great indicator for progress that you are making when the scale isn't reflecting it. I typically measure these areas on a client: bicep, chest, waist, hips, and thigh. Use a measuring tape and track your progress once a month.
Part of this discussion led to this question: What size and weight do you need to be in order to achieve your optimal fitness and wellness? It's different for everyone, of course. You have to look at height, body fat level (and how much muscle is on your body), body type, and waist to hip ratio to name a few measuring tools. Everyone has a picture in their own minds on what their "best body" will look like. Someone's best body may be completely different than the next person. Naturally, you want to achieve a body that promotes good health and not raise your health risks. Beyond that, it may just be what looks good to you.
I did a little research, and here is a really interesting article that brushes on the typical sizes of women decades ago compared to now and also some tidbits about healthy indicators on dictating your "right size."
Excerpts from a Web MD article from 2010:
Just What IS an Average Woman’s Size Anymore? by Pamela Peeke, MD
...." What size is “normal” – what is an average weight anymore?
To answer this question, let’s look at some facts. The average starlet is wearing a size 2 or 4 which is the sample size designers are making presently. Today, the average American woman is 5’4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14. Fifty years ago, the average woman was 5’3-4″ with a waist size of approximately 24-25″, she weighed about 120 lbs and wore a size 8. Curiously, over the past twenty years, fashion model sizes have dropped from a size 8 to 0. Whenever I hear 0 I can’t help but envision an invisible woman. It gets more interesting when you look at changes in women’s bodies and dress sizes dating from the 1950′s. There was actually a uniform sizing system for women’s clothes until the US Department of Commerce dropped it in 1983 noting that the traditional sizes were no longer reflecting the size and shape of the average consumer. Today, in order to cater to women’s vanity, as women have gotten larger, designers have manipulated sizes so that truly larger sizes are marked as smaller. A size 8 in the 1950′s is now a size 4 or less today. Sizing from brand to brand is now so variable that most women fill their closets with at least two or three sizes. (SIDEBAR from me: Marilyn Monroe was NOT fat!! Read this article to dismiss the myth: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/marilyn-monroe-was-not-even-close-to-a-size-12-16/)
...Who’s calling the shots on the definition of beauty as well as health? The fashion industry with their emaciated models? The fitness folks with their flat-ab’d muscle mavens? Celebrities from size 0 to obese-sized stars? Government professionals armed with charts, graphs and committee reports?
The answer is all of the above. Each group is helping shape women’s perception of what is right for them. Women are turning their backs on the skin and bones coat hangers that have been the mainstay of the runway model. The ’80′s ushered in the fitness magazines and their meatier, curvier models. Women are starting to get smarter and realizing that reaching a jeans size with no fitness involved is an empty experience. Also, the fitter you are, the more you can weigh at a smaller size.
So, where does all of this lead us? I believe that women want to be able to see a range of possibilities in the media as well as in government recommendations. Skip the starving or frankly obese models, and show a spectrum of active, fit women of a variety of shapes and sizes. Plunk them all into great clothes and show the world that a real diversity of women can look and feel great. We want to celebrate a wide spectrum of health and fitness, and run from the old stringent, “skinny” definitions of beauty that have haunted us, leading to eating disorders, eroded self esteem and scale hopping, pill popping madness."
What’s a healthy and appropriate size for you? The answer lies in this key list of health indicators:
Know your waist size:
Take a tape measure to your waist, measuring across your belly button. Your goal is a waist circumference less than 35″. More than that is unhealthy because it’s associated with too much internal belly fat, and that’s associated with heart disease and diabetes.Identify your shape... apple or pear? (See my previous blog post on this)
Measure your body fat.
You can buy a body fat scale or have a fitness professional perform a measurement at a health club. Average women should keep their body fat in the range of 20-29% until they become menopausal. After that time, body fat through age 60 can peak at about 32%. Too much body fat all over the body increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Too much inner abdominal fat leads to heart disease and diabetes.
Calculate your BMI.
Check out the BMI Calculator Plus on WebMD and plug in your weight and height for your BMI. It’s best to keep this in the range of 20- 25. If it’s greater, it’s associated with the consequences of overweight and obesity. If it’s less than that range, you may be too thin and headed for trouble. The only exceptions to the BMI rule are truly athletic and muscular people. That means their BMI may be higher than normal, but their body fat is usually lower than normal.
Live a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re eating a healthy diet and getting in at least 30 minutes of cardio activity 5 x week along with some form of strength training 2 x week, then you’re living an optimal lifestyle. The key is not to be sedentary all of the time, and eating trash 24/7. If you are, you’re living an unhealthy lifestyle with increased disease risk. Also, you’ll never know your ideal clothing size or body shape unless you make better lifestyle choices.
Note your clothing size.
Get out a piece of clothing (jeans) that fits you perfectly. (See my pants challenge blog post!) That’s your current size. How do your other numbers look? If you find that you’re in an unhealthy range, you’ll need to shed some excess fat. Your clothing size will change with healthy lifestyle choices. The only way to continue to improve that size is to take it up a notch and add more intensity and exercise, while paring away excess calories.
Look at your waist to hip ratio:
Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. A ratio greater than .8 for women or .95 for men may put you at higher risk for a number of diseases.
One size does NOT fit all. Figure out what your "right" healthy size is and start working for it. Make sure it is realistic and give yourself time to get there. Then, keep working so that you can STAY there.
