How do you measure your waist?

I measure right at my belly button but I also measure my chest, rib cage and widest part of my hips

I measure the thinnest part since that's your true waist.

I take one measurement at my belly button that I call my waist measurement and then I take another measurement like an inch or maybe two below that that I call the Pooch measurement. The idea is to get the pooch measurement and the waist measurement as close to the same as possible, lol

I measure the thinnest part too for the waist. Like where my pants sit. But its weird cause if you google it shows people measuring around their belly button area. Thats more like stomach to me. I don't wear my jeans up to my stomach.

I take 2 stomach measurements, smallest area and at my belly button. My stomach has a bad overhang due to an emergency Csection, I aslo measure my hips with and without the overhang. Along with arms, thighs, calves, chest...think I have 13 points I measure once a month.

Here is the guide I use to do measurements. The reason I use the bend of the waist is because I'm measuring on a lot of people. This makes sure I'm measuring the same spot because unless there is some sort of accident that causes spinal issues, they will always bend at the same spot. And if they have an accident like that, they probably aren't worried about their waist size anymore. If I have a really overweight client who loses a lot of weight in the stomach, I can't use the navel at all because when the skin drops, so does their belly button. I even had a client years ago who had a tummy tuck and didn't have a navel anymore because it was in the excess that was cut out and the doctor didn't make a fake one like they would now. Talk about confusing for a new trainer who was taught to use the navel! :laugh: In this list you will see that I also take a lower abdominal measurement, which is generally below the navel where most women store the excess fat from the childbearing years. Personally, I'm always happier to see that number go down then the waist, but that is a vanity thing. Any measurement where you are measuring the thickest point, you want to turn sideways and look in a mirror to see the thickest part, or have someone else measure you and they measure from the side to determine that thickest point.


Measurements
Wrist--Measure around at the point between the bony protrusion of the arm and the hand
Forearm--Measure the length between the crook of the elbow and the wrist. Divide that in half and then measure around at the midpoint.
Bicep--Measure the length between the underarm and the crook of the elbow. Divide that in half and then measure around at the midpoint. If you are looking for muscle growth, do this measurement with the bicep flexed, as well as, relaxed.
Neck--Measure the length between the base of the jaw and the collarbone. Divide that in half and then measure around at the midpoint.
Shoulders--With the arms down by the side, measure around the body approximately 1 inch below the top of the shoulders.
Chest--Measure around the body with the tape measure at the base of the armpits.
Bust--Measure around the body at the fullest part of the breast, usually at the nipple line.
Waist--Bend sideways and feel for where the spine bends. Measure around the body at that spot.
Lower Abdominal--Measure around the body at the fullest part of the "baby bulge".
Hip--With the feet together, measure around the body at the fullest part of the butt.
Thigh--Measure the length between the connection point of the leg and the top of the kneecap. Divide that in half and measure around the thigh at the midpoint.
Calf--Measure the length between the bottom of the kneecap and the top of the foot. Divide that in half and measure around the calf at the midpoint. Another option on this one is to measure at the fullest part of the calf, but there is no guarantee that you are measuring the same spot each time with that option.

This is an interesting post for me because I am really high waisted. My body curves in a few inches above my belly button, but that is not where pants and skirts fit. If I have a long enough skirt I have been able to hike it up when it gets too tight at where most people have a waist and then it will fit. So I think I just have too much belly fat in the general waist area. Never had much of a defined waist anyway.

I take it were my belly button is because otherwise I would never be able to remember where to measure. I do not do any other body section (is that the right word~lol) for the very reason that I cannot remember from time to time where I measured last.

I take it were my belly button is because otherwise I would never be able to remember where to measure. I do not do any other body section (is that the right word~lol) for the very reason that I cannot remember from time to time where I measured last.

I always do my waist at 1 inch above my belly button and my hips at 7 inches below my belly button. That way I know I'm always doing them the same. Also when I worked in a theater costume shop that's where they had us do the measurements for all the actors. Easy to remember and always the same. Hope that helps.