Often, I hear women wonder aloud what the ideal weight for women is, and the answer, quite simply, is there isn’t one.
The ideal weight for women depends on a huge range of factors, such as their height, age, fitness level and many other things. What you can determine is whether you are outside of the norm, have a high percentage of body fat, and are at risk of diseases associated with obesity and being overweight.
For instance, research has shown that women should have a waist to hip ratio of eighty percent. Not only is this aesthetically pleasing though, it’s also for your health. Research has also displayed that individuals who carry their weight of their abdominal area are more prone to cardiovascular disease and other illnesses, like diabetes, that can be dangerous or life threatening.
On the other hand, women who are below the average, or ideal weight for women of a particular height, put themselves at risk of other problems, like fertility problems.
So, while there is no ideal weight for women across the board, a physician or fitness professional should be able to account for your height, age and any other elements that should be taken into consideration, and tell you whether you are over, under, or average weight, as well as assess your fitness.
Then again, ideal weight is also a psychological thing – if you look good, you feel good, so you might call this your ‘happy weight’ the size and weight at which you know you look good.
-----------------------------------------