How To Measure Your Hips
In a previous article we covered how to measure your waist and discussed how useful it is to know your waist size. Similarly, hip measurements can be really useful for fitting clothes, monitoring weight changes and assessing WHR (waist-to-hip ratio). So, let's take a look at the process for measuring your hips.
Accurate hip measurements - preparation
Before measuring your hips, it's important to prepare properly. You'll find the measuring process a lot easier if you do it in front of a full-length body mirror. You'll also need a fabric tape measure (not a metal DIY one!) or a piece of string which you can use to mark and measure. Consider having a piece of paper and pen (or your smartphone) to hand as well, so that you can jot down the measurement straight away. Once you have those things ready, you can start measuring...
Here's how to measure your hips:
- Remove outer clothes such as pants (trousers if you're British) and shirt. If you're wearing thin underwear, that's fine to leave on. Anything bulkier will give an inaccurate measurement.
- Put your feet together
- Locate the correct area of your hips - the widest point around your buttocks. Your hip measurement should include your buttocks and hips.
- Hold the start of the tape measure on one hip, wrap it around your buttocks and around your other hip and then back to where you started.
- Ensure the tape is held snugly around your skin, but resist the temptation to pull it too tightly. Make sure the tape is level and not twisted.
- Move the tape up or down a little just to check you've got the widest spot. Now, take the measurement.
- Et voila! You have your hip measurement.
Should you find yourself needing to convert your hip measurement between cm and inches, by the way, do give our cm to inches converter a try.
Measuring hip circumference - video
If you're still unsure whether you're measuring your hips correctly, here's video summary from GothicXo:
Waist-to-hip ratio
I do hope this article has proved useful to you. Should you wish to calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, check out our WHR calculator. WHR can be used to determine the distribution of fat in your body, as one measure of your overall health.
Written by Alastair Hazell
(with assistance from Becky Kleanthous)
