One of the main problems that worries people is being overweight. First, sufferers have a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer (colon cancer). Another health problem associated with excess weight is a greater risk of developing osteoarthritis (wear and tear) of the joints. In addition, emotional problems associated with low self-esteem and depression can be mentioned.

Unfortunately, scales are not an accurate tool as they only indicate total weight. But we know that with age, the ratio between muscle mass, on the one hand, and fat and fluid mass, on the other, changes in favor of the latter. This is why “normal fatness” does not yet indicate that the nutritional system has been selected correctly.

There are various approaches to determine normal weight. Usually in everyday life, the following formula is used to calculate normal weight: if your height is 176 cm - 100 = 76 kg. But in this case, body type and age are not taken into account. If you are a short, strong man with a dense build (hypersthenic constitution), then you can add 5 kg to the resulting figure, and if you are tall and thin (asthenic constitution), subtract 5 kg.

There are other approaches to determining normal weight. For example, foreign gerontologists suggest subtracting 105 from the growth figure, that is, 175 – 105 = 70 (plus or minus 5 kg depending on body type and age). As you can see, the difference is not big.

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals around the world use body mass index (BMI) to determine whether a person is overweight or obese.

Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared, so BMI = weight/height 2 . Let's carry out the calculations for the example above: with a height of 1.75 m and a weight of 73 kg, BMI = 73/1.75 2 = 23.84. Is it good or bad? Let's see.

Although BMI gives us some insight into health risk, it is only a rough way of assessing body fat and health risk. It doesn't take into account fat levels, which is an indicator of the risk of future health problems. For example, an athlete with well-developed muscles and normal body fat will have a higher BMI. And, judging by BMI, the conclusions will be erroneous. It is also important to remember that the concept of “overweight” varies depending on age.

Children and BMI

The number of obese children has also risen sharply in recent years, and it is feared that if current trends continue, obesity-related diseases such as diabetes will occur at an earlier age than at present.

A child's BMI is calculated in the same way as for adults - weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. However, adult BMI numbers should not be used to determine whether a child is overweight or obese. They can only be used by persons over 18 years of age, since children require different tables and calculation schemes.

Waist circumference

Waist circumference is now considered a more accurate measure of future health risk than BMI. Increased fat around the waist can lead to increased risks of heart disease and diabetes. It is also associated with a greater risk of high cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

If a man's waist circumference exceeds 94 cm , then we can talk about obesity. For most men, risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among other diseases, increase with waist size more than 102 cm.

The place to measure with a tape measure is the narrowest part of the waist (between the lower ribs and hips), exhale and measure the circumference.

"Apples" and "pears"

Most of us accumulate fat either around our hips or around our waist. In the first case, such a figure is called “pear-shaped”, and in the second – “apple-shaped”. Your risk of disease directly depends on your body shape.

If you have an apple figure, you have narrow hips but a protruding tummy or beer belly. In medical terms, this is called central obesity.

Over the past few years, scientific research has shown that a person who is obese around the waist is at greater risk than someone who is pear-shaped, or has excess fat around the hips. It is obesity around the waist that poses the greatest threat to human health.

Bottom line. A person with excess fat has a higher risk of developing serious diseases such as heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, hypertension, blood vessel disease, and diabetes than people with excess thigh fat.

Recently, measurements of the proportion of fat around the waist or hips are a better measure of a person's heart attack risk than BMI.

Measure your waist and hips. Measure your waist at the narrowest point. This is usually just above the navel. Then measure your hips at their widest point. Most often it is around the buttocks. It is important not to pull on the tape when taking any of these measurements.

Finally, divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. For example, if your waist is 85 cm and your hips are 100 cm, then the ratio will be 0.85. This indicator (Waist/Hip Ratio, or WHR) allows you to determine the location of adipose tissue. For men, this indicator is normal if it is from 0.78 to 0.94. If a man has this ratio greater than 1.0, then you are an “apple”. In this case, you must be aware of the serious risks to your health.

What about BMI?

New research suggests that body mass index is no longer the best tool for determining your future health problems. But this doesn't mean you should ignore your BMI. It can be used as a rough tool for preliminary determination of excess weight.

Watch your weight. If your BMI is between 18.5-24.9, then everything is fine. Less or more - this should alert you and you should direct all your efforts to increase (if BMI is less than 18.5) or decrease (BMI more than 25) your weight, and therefore to fight for your health. In any case, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

It's important to remember that the main risk marker is fat around the waist. However, do not forget that abdominal fat is only one risk factor. Smoking, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and stress are other important risk factors for the disease that also need to be taken into account.

Problem

A protruding belly, the eternal enemy of men who love to eat heavily and lead a sedentary life, is ugly and harmful. Everyone knows that they need to get rid of it, and they strive for this, but success is not easy.

Obesity in the modern world is becoming a pandemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a billion people on the planet are overweight and want to lose weight. After all, obesity is not only a “cosmetic inconvenience”. Excess weight contributes to the development of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint disease, snoring, asthma and much more.

The problem of obesity and weight loss methods is relevant regardless of social and professional affiliation, area of ​​residence, age and gender.
In developed countries, almost 50% of the population is overweight, of which 30% are obese. In Russia, on average, 30% of people of working age are obese and 25% are overweight.
The most obese people are in the United States: in this country, 60% of the population is overweight, and 27% are obese. So in the USA in 2003-2004, a very high degree of obesity (body mass index more than 40) was recorded in 2.8% of men and 6.9% of women. This degree of obesity is a deadly disease!

It is known that fat accumulation can occur mainly under the skin (so-called peripheral obesity) or around internal organs - central obesity.
Central obesity carries a much greater health risk than peripheral obesity. Experts have linked abdominal obesity, where excess fat is stored primarily in the abdomen and waist, with an increased risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome has several symptoms:
. hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus,
. high pressure,
. impaired lipid metabolism (increased levels of triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoproteins), hence atherosclerosis and all its consequences (heart attacks, strokes).

The figure of people whose excess fat is deposited in the abdominal area is called an “apple” figure, in contrast to the “pear” figure, when the buttocks and thighs become fat first.
A pear shape has fewer negative health consequences.
The apple-shaped figure is more common in men and is considered a male type of weight gain. However, some women also store fat on their belly.

Nutritionist Felicia Bush from St. Paul (Minnesota) believes that this fat must be lost at all costs. You may weigh some 5-7 kg more than normal, but if all of it has accumulated on your stomach, it threatens your health more than an extra 15-20 kg elsewhere, she says.

To determine whether belly fat is affecting your health, measure your waist circumference.
Waist circumference (WC) is an indicator of the deposition of adipose tissue in the abdominal area in a person. Waist circumference is measured in a standing position, in the middle of the distance between the lower ribs (costal arch) and the iliac crests. Ideally, this figure should not exceed 94 for men and 80 centimeters for women (see table 1).
With abdominal-visceral obesity (apple-shaped obesity, when a person has an increased risk of developing type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), this figure is more than 102 centimeters in men and more than 88 centimeters in women.

Table 1. Waist circumference for men and women:
Gender Normal Alarm zone Specialist consultation required
Men< 94 см 94 - 101 см ≥ 102 см
Women< 80 см 80 - 87 см ≥ 88 см

Central obesity indices can provide an objective assessment of the presence of this form of obesity and clarify the degree of its severity.

A number of indices characterize the degree of fat accumulation around internal organs. The most well-known indices of central obesity are:
1. WHR (waist-hip ratio). Waist/hip ratio. Waist circumference is measured at the level of the navel. Pelvic circumference is measured at its widest point. Normally this index< 0.85 для женщин и < 1.0 для мужчин.
If a person has abdominal-visceral obesity, he or she has a WC/TB ratio of more than 0.85 in women and more than 1.0 in men (Stern et al., 1995).
2. WTR (waist-thigh ratio). Waist circumference/leg circumference ratio. Leg circumference is measured at the upper third of the thigh. Normally this index is< 1.5 для женщин и < 1.7 для мужчин.
3. WAR (waist-arm ratio). Waist circumference/arm circumference ratio. Arm circumference is measured in the middle third of the upper arm (in the area of ​​maximum biceps volume). The norm for this index is< 2.4 для мужчин и женщин.
4. WHtR (waist-height ratio). Waist/height ratio. The norm for this index is< 0.5 для мужчин и женщин.

Cause

Simple arithmetic: you consume more calories than you expend, so you gain weight. In men, extra pounds are deposited primarily on the abdomen - this is called abdominal obesity, in contrast to gluteal-femoral obesity, which is characteristic of women and, by the way, less harmful. The reason for this difference is genetic.

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone that helps maintain muscle mass, strength, limit fat mass, increase bone mass, sperm production, sexual drive and potency. Women also have testosterone, but in much smaller quantities.

Testosterone is a muscle-building and fat-burning hormone, but there are two types. Testosterone bound to blood protein (hormone binding globulin) works differently than free testosterone. In men after 30 years of age, the level of free testosterone decreases, and the level of bound testosterone increases. As a result of such changes, muscle mass decreases and the percentage of body fat increases.

Does testosterone itself burn fat, or does it simply improve how insulin interacts with carbohydrates or fats? Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that increased levels of hormone binding globulin are the best indicator of increased abdominal fat stores. Free testosterone levels do not show abnormalities in insulin metabolism.

The researchers warn that too much testosterone from supplements or steroids can significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer, stressing that their study results only relate to natural testosterone levels.

Note that one of the natural ways to maintain testosterone levels is through regular weight training.

How to deal with it

The best way to get rid of a protruding belly is to move. Isometric exercises with weights are great for building muscle and, of course, are healthy, but if you want a flat stomach, you need to get rid of fat. And for this you need regular aerobics - from walking in place and jogging to swimming and cycling. Exercise for at least 45 minutes five times a week.

Movement and food

At first glance, to get rid of belly fat, you just need to fast. This is mistake. By sharply reducing your calorie intake, you can indeed lose fat, but also muscle mass.
In a study conducted by Tufts University in Boston, 11 men and women aged 60 years and older were divided into two groups: exercisers and fasters. The first ones rode an exercise bike twice for 45 minutes daily (this “burns” 360 kcal), while continuing to consume the same amount of calories as before. The latter consumed 360 kcal/day less, but the level of physical activity remained the same.
Over 12 weeks, the “starving” people lost an average of 5 kg, including more than half of this amount from muscles, and the “physical athletes” lost 7.5 kg exclusively of fat. The moral is obvious. If you cut your rations, then by a maximum of 200-300 kcal/day, says Professor William Evans from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Once you cross this point, you will begin to lose muscle.
If you're trying to lose weight, your main ally is your muscles. Even at complete rest, muscle tissue “burns” more calories than fat tissue. This means that for a muscular person it is always more difficult to get fat, and easier to lose weight.

Aerobics

Two or three short sessions a day will help you get rid of belly fat quickly. This regimen is optimal for both improving health and burning calories. A short duration of exercise will prevent you from getting tired, and as a result you will, on average, work your muscles more intensely.
Two to three 20-minute sessions per day are recommended. A morning jog plus a brisk walk during your lunch break is enough to get you started. The main thing is that the load is “aerobic”, i.e. significantly increased the work of the heart and lungs. This is probably the best way to combat abdominal obesity. It has been shown that aerobics primarily eliminates fat reserves in the abdominal area.

Squats

This simple exercise forces a huge mass of muscles to work - the buttocks (i.e. your “soft spot”), hips, abdomen, back and even the shoulder girdle - while simultaneously increasing the heart rate. It is important not to pump up a specific muscle group, but to burn extra calories accumulated on the stomach.
Beginners are offered this exercise. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly apart so that the thighs, shins and feet are in a straight line. Cross your arms over your chest. Squat down slowly, keeping your body straight. Make sure that your knees do not stick out forward, remaining behind the ends of your feet. It should feel like you are sitting on a low stool. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, begin to slowly straighten your legs. Repeat this movement 8-12 times in a row and do two or three such series a day.
When you master squats, perform them with dumbbells or a barbell in your hands. Please note that any new exercise should be discussed with your doctor first.

Press swing

This exercise alone - without sufficient aerobic exercise and proper nutrition - will not get rid of the belly, but it will strengthen the muscles under the fat layer. And this will certainly improve your posture and relieve stress on your back. It is important to “swing” correctly. More is better - that's a mistake, says Anne Marie Miller, a fitness trainer. Five hundred quick swings, executed somehow, are no better than twenty, but done correctly. Instead of stimulating as many muscle fibers as possible with a slow movement, men often lift their torso with a jerk, jerking their heads and tensing their legs.
Here's how to pump up your abs: lie on your back with your arms crossed over your chest or your palms behind your head - elbows to the sides. Bend your knees at a 45-degree angle and place your feet flat on the floor. Slowly raise your torso - first your shoulders, then your lower back. Your ribcage should move towards your pelvis.

Less fat

It's a simple matter, but important. Moreover, it is easier for men to slightly change their diet for health benefits than for women. The paradox is that men, on average, eat less rationally, so they have enormous room for maneuver in this area. It’s enough to switch to skim milk, give up mayonnaise in your salad, replace potato chips with bagels, don’t put cheese on bread - and over time you’ll feel a big difference at your waistline.

Drunkenness is a fight
Alcohol is not only high in calories, but also goes straight to the stomach, hence the term “beer belly.” If you're going to control your waist size, cut down on your drinking. It is recommended for those who go on a spree to “prime themselves” with a couple of servings of lemonade or something else non-alcoholic. This will not only partially fill your stomach, leaving less room for the alcohol, but it will also weaken its effects, making it easier for you to maintain a reasonable limit.

Tighten your stomach

Tighten your abdominal muscles regularly, remembering how you instinctively do this when you are waiting for a punch to the stomach. Recommends getting used to consciously drawing in your stomach when walking. And when you are driving, do this when you stop at a traffic light. A little effort, but a good pumping of muscles, and at the same time burning a couple of extra calories.

Martial arts

You don't have to earn a black belt or even take karate classes. Tim Hoover, a teacher at the Allentown Karate Academy in Pennsylvania who has spent 27 years training in martial arts, recommends combining Tae Kwon Do with Tai Chi.
This is a great exercise for the obliques, which will strengthen your waist. To get the maximum effect, you need to perform it slowly and thoughtfully, paying special attention to the balance of the body and the movement of fluids in it. Warm up for a few minutes first. Jumping in place is a great way to speed up blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
For beginners, it is better to stand against a wall or other support and hold on to it with your left hand to maintain balance. Slowly raise your right knee in front of you so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Pull your toes up, bending your leg at the ankle joint. Now look to the right. Stretch your right leg there, while simultaneously turning the foot of the second leg to the left - towards the support. Your eyes, right shoulder and right heel should be in a straight line, and your extended right leg should point in the direction opposite to the support. In this pose, count to five and slowly return to the starting position, repeating all the steps in reverse order. Proper breathing is important. Raise your leg as you inhale, extend it as you exhale, bend it again while inhaling, and lower it to the ground as you exhale.
Repeat the described movement with your right leg three to five times, then shake for a few seconds and do the same with your left leg. Perform the exercise every other day, gradually increasing the number of repetitions on each side to ten.

A significant reduction in weight and, most importantly, visceral fat will lead to an improved quality of life, increased potency, and a reduction in morbidity and mortality from heart and metabolic diseases.

For a very long time, the inhabitants of the planet have been trying to find out what the ideal proportions of the female body are? And probably everyone knows that the famous 90-60-90 is not at all the ideal female figure. So what parameters should a female figure meet?

Ideal female body proportions

Have you ever wondered what the ideal proportions of a female body are? To be honest, I didn’t ask myself this question. It is obvious to me that at any age and height there are different indicators of weight, waist size, and so on. But recently, at a webinar, a woman shared a way to find out the ideal body parameters based on her height. I shared it at the end of the article.

And now... Let's run for the measuring tape and scales, because now you will find out the ideal proportions of the female body!

1. The formula for ideal weight has been found!

Ideal weight is a very relative concept, since there are no uniform canons of beauty. And weight is not the main indicator of an impeccable physique. But nevertheless, we do not stop stepping on the scales again and again.

There are various formulas for determining your ideal weight. For some time, they used the ratio of weight and height and Brock’s weight formula: “The ideal weight is equal to height in centimeters 100 minutes.” However, it is now believed that this formula is designed for women 40-50 years old. The optimal weight for women 20-30 years old should be reduced by 10-12%, after 50 years old - increased by 5-7%. And today, tables and formulas are more often used that also introduce corrections for body composition.
Using the following table, you can quickly and accurately determine your ideal weight, taking into account your height and age.

2. Wasp waist

3. Move your hips!

Again, depending on body type and age. After all, you can’t put all girls and women under the same brush!

4. This was all in particular. Now let's summarize. And we will find the formulas for the ideal proportions of the female body, trusting the scientists.

1. The waist size should be twice the neck size.
2. The volume of the neck, in turn, is two wrists.
3. The waist-to-hip ratio can be around 0.7 (0.60 to 0.72 to be exact).

Hips, waist and chest

Normal indicators for girls 18 – 28 years old are:

When the chest circumference is equal to half the height plus 2-5 cm;
- for the bust - chest circumference plus 8-10 cm;
- hips are 25-30 cm larger than waist circumference.

5. An alternative formula for calculating ideal proportions:

It was this formula that I learned about from a speech by one lady. I hope I wrote everything down correctly.

We measure our height. To find out your ideal parameters, multiply it by a coefficient.

Waist 0.35-0.4

Hips 0.52-0.6

Chest 0.5 - 0.55

Leg (calf) 0.21-0.23

Waist size quite truthfully indicates an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes...

Since body mass index and weight don't work, what should you measure? I will tell you about a number of indicators that you can measure yourself.

Let's start with the waist and waist derivatives. I note that over the past decades, the average waist has been seriously spreading. The most successful waist-to-hip ratio for women is considered to be 0.7 or less. However, in the modern world this figure is closer to 0.8. It is important to understand that a large waist doubles your risk of premature death from all causes. Every extra 5 cm around the waist increases the risk of premature death by 13% in women and 17% in men.

Today we’ll talk about the waist and health.

So, let's measure.

We only need a measuring tape and a telephone (calculator). Yes, I remind you again that It is not excess weight in itself that is harmful, but internal (abdominal, visceral) fat.. At risk are some people with a completely normal overall height-to-weight ratio, but with a large waist circumference.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that studies of twins have shown that in 22-50% of cases the ratio of waist to hip circumference can be explained by genetic factors; among other factors, nutrition and lifestyle occupy the first places.

1. Waist circumference (centimeters)

The normal waist circumference for women is 80 centimeters (this is the upper limit that should not be exceeded),

• women with a smaller girth can only rejoice, because they have a normal weight,
• when the girth ranges from 80 to 88 centimeters - this is a slight increase in weight,
• over 88 – obesity.

For men:

• normal parameters are up to 94 centimeters,
• from 94 to 102 – weight gain,
• and more than 102 is a threat, that is, obesity.

These people have an increased risk of dying from heart disease and cancer.

Statistics are given: men with a waist of at least 100 cm have a 50% higher mortality rate than those with a waist of less than 89 cm. In general, women with thin waists are more attractive to the opposite sex. An ideally proportioned woman should have a waist-to-hip ratio of approximately 0.7 (more precisely, between 0.60 and 0.72). The researchers gave an example of a man with a height of 178 cm. If such a person has a waist circumference of 107 cm, his life can be shortened by 1 year and 7 months. Even with normal weight, a large waist size affects life expectancy.

2. WHtR (waist-height ratio)

Waist/height ratio. The norm for this index is less than 0.5 for men and women, i.e. The waist circumference should not exceed half the person's height.