Another way to assess your risk for heart disease is to measure your waist circumference.  Waist size is a good indicator of the amount of abdominal fat you have.  Abdominal fat, particularly that deposited in between the organs, significantly increases your risk for heart related problems.For men, those with a waist measurement of 40 inches or greater are elevated risk for heart disease and other metabolic diseases.   For women, a waist measurement over 35 inches represents increased risk.

Want to assess whether you waist circumference places you at elevated risk for heart disease?  You can determine your waist circumference by placing a measuring tape snugly around your waist & following the directions below.

How to measure waist circumference:

Want to assess whether you waist circumference places you at elevated risk for heart disease?
Here’s how:

1.  Locate the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your rib cage.
2.  Place a tape measure evenly around your bare abdomen midway between the top of the hip bone and the bottom of the rib cage.
3.  Ensure that the tape is snug but does not push into the skin.
3.  Breath out normally.  Do not “suck in” your stomach as that will give an incorrect reading.
4.  Read the tape measure and record the waist circumference in inches.