What is BMI and How to Determine Yours?

August 26th, 2008 by admin

BMI is short for Body Mass Index and it helps tell you if you have too much fat in your body. While there are a lot of methods for calculating body fat, BMI is a quick and easy method for determining if you are underweight, overweight, obese, or in a healthy weight range.

To calculate your BMI, you simply use your weight in kilograms and your height in meters. If you don’t know how to do the math, or just don’t want to, there are calculators online that will figure it out for you. Just input your height and weight. Many of them will also let you know if you’re in a healthy weight range.

For adults, the healthy BMI range is between 18.5 and 25. If your score is below 18.5, you are considered underweight. Above 25 is considered overweight, and above 30 is considered obese. This range is used for men and women aged twenty and over. For those under eighteen, healthy BMI levels vary by age and sex. BMI range can be determined for children by using height/weight charts.

The problem with BMI is that it’s not terribly accurate for determining the overall percentage of fat in the body. It was developed as a simple way to determine body fat in large groups of people for various studies. However, we are all different shapes and sizes and some have more muscle that others, which adds quite a bit of weight to our bodies. This is a quick reference, but for an accurate reading there is another method.

If your BMI is high, the easiest way to verify that you need to lose a few pounds is by measuring your waist. A waist of greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women is seen as overweight. Other methods for determining body fat percentages include underwater weight, fat fold thickness, and several other tests that require advanced technology. Many of these methods are expensive or difficult, so your doctor probably won’t perform them unless they’re absolutely necessary.

If your BMI is above or below the healthy range, your first step should be to visit a doctor. They can not only perform more accurate tests to determine your exact fat percentages, they will also ask about your current lifestyle, eating, and exercise plan. If your BMI is high, but you eat right, exercise regularly, and don’t practice many bad habits, you may not be at an increased risk for health problems. If you do need to lose or gain weight, they can get you started on a plan to achieve a more healthy weight.

While it may not be perfect, BMI is a fantastic tool to quickly figure out if you are in a healthy age range, or should be concerned about your percentage of body fat.

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Healthy BMI Levels for Children

August 16th, 2008 by admin

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is just a fancy way of telling you how much fat there is in your body. If your child’s BMI is high, they’re not only at a higher risk of developing serious health problems, they’re also going to have a harder time getting around, staying active, and just being kids.

To calculate your child’s BMI, you simply need to know their weight in kilograms and their height in meters. To avoid messy calculations, you can just find a BMI calculator online to do the math for you.

For adults, a healthy BMI is always in the same range, no matter what your age or sex. For children, a healthy BMI range depends the age and sex of the child. It not only varies from year to year, but also from month to month. Adult BMI range can only be used for people aged twenty and over, so even if you child is in high school or even graduated, you should still not be using accepted adult ranges.

The easiest way to find out if your child’s BMI is at a healthy level, is to check it with standardized charts. Basically, your child’s BMI is put on a graph and compared to the BMI of other children of the same age and sex. If BMI level is in the bottom 5th percentile, your child is considered underweight. If they are in the 5th to 85th percentile, your child is of healthy weight. If they are between the 85th and 95th percentile they are considered overweight, and if they are above the 95th percentile, they are considered obese.

If your child’s BMI is too high, you should consult your child’s doctor and set up a diet and exercise plan for your child. Just as in adults, having a BMI that is too high can lead to serious health problems in the distant and not so distant future. If the percentage of fat in your child’s body is too high, they are at risk of developing weight-related problems at a very young age, like type 2 diabetes. Often, small changes will help put your child on the road to a healthy lifestyle.

Most people are only concerned with their child’s BMI if their child is overweight, but calculating BMI can tell you if your child is underweight as well. Being underweight can be just as unhealthy for a child or teen as being overweight. It can also be an indicator that your son or daughter has an eating disorder (yes, sons can have eating disorders, too!). These are serious conditions and you should seek treatment for your child if you suspect a problem.

Your child’s health is important. While there are other tests a doctor may do to determine if your child is in a healthy weight range or at a higher risk of getting health problems, calculating their BMI is a quick and easy way for you to keep track of your child’s weight and general health.

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Healthy BMI Levels for Women

August 7th, 2008 by admin

Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, tells you how much fat there is in your body. An accurate BMI reading is a great way to tell whether or not you’re at a healthy weight. If your BMI is too high you are at a greater risk of weight-related health problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy BMI is one of many ways to stay healthy and reduce your risk of future problems.

To calculate your BMI, you simply need to know your weight in kilograms and your height in meters. A healthy BMI range for men and women is between 18.5 and 25. Below 18.5 is considered underweight, 25 to 30 is overweight, and over 30 is considered obese.

You should monitor your BMI regularly if you think you weight is changing (or needs changing). That means if you gain weight OR if you lose weight. While it doesn’t garner nearly as much attention, a BMI that is too low is just as dangerous as one that is too high. If your BMI is below 18.5, you should alter your habits to gain weight in a healthy manner. A doctor can help you come up with a weight gain plan just as they would for weight loss.

While you may be an adult legally when you turn eighteen, BMI calculations don’t consider you an adult until you’re twenty. Women under age twenty can calculate their BMI in the same way as adults, but the cut-offs for a healthy range are different and vary by age. If you’re nineteen or younger, you should check age/weight ratio charts to determine if you fall in the healthy range. A BMI less that 5% of other women your age is considered underweight, between 5 and 85 percent is healthy, 85 to 95 percent is overweight, and above 95% is obese.

Just because your BMI doesn’t fall into the healthy range doesn’t mean you need to lose gain weight. If you are older, or if you are an athlete or just very muscular, your BMI may not be accurate. This is because BMI is a general tool developed for men and women aged twenty and above, and isn’t specific to age, sex, or body type. If your BMI is high or low, you should consider getting a more accurate reading of body fat percentage from your doctor. Also, if you eat healthy and exercise regularly, you are probably less likely to have health issues than someone with the same BMI and a poor lifestyle.

If your BMI is not in the healthy range, your best course of action is to visit your doctor. The can give you a healthy weight loss or weight gain plan that is right for you.

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