Calculate your BMI on this page. The well-known Body
Mass Index is used as a gauge of over- and underweight.
The founder of the Body Mass Index is Quetelet.
He worked out that there was a reasonably useful relationship between weight and lenght of your body.
Note, that I'd like to add a little extra info to the Body
Mass Index. More than is usually given. So please continue to read on
after you have tried the calculator.
So now that you know your BMI... what is a high and what is a
low BMI ?
Normally the following general figures are used :
BMI < 20 ::
Underweight
BMI < 25 ::
Normal weight
BMI > 25 ::
Overweight
BMI > 30 ::
Obese
The Body Mass Index is an indicator of overweight
and so, also, for the risk people run to get heart and/or
artery diseases. Insurance companies use the BMI for example.
Is it a good indicator of cardiovascular problems?
First read these comments to the Body Mass Index and then judge for
yourself:
BMI is dependent on both length and weight. The weight of children
grows faster than their length. BMI is therefore not so
useful for children.
When you are older the opposite happens : older people keep the same
weight, but they decrease in length. So for elderly, the BMI
is not that useful too.
Tall people can't really use the BMI as well.
For them weight divided by length to the third degree would be a more
useful criterium.
Big people with lots of muscles
(bodybuilders, big bad basketballplayers / footballplayers)
can't use the Body Mass Index either.
Muscles have a higher relative weight than fat.
Asian people generally have
lower body fat. A BMI higher than 20 can already be a serious
indicator of being overweight for an Asian person.
So using BMI as an indicator of obesity is not so useful for quite a
few people. More than half of the world population actually... :)
So, be a bit careful when interpreting the results.
Your score is over 25?
Well, if your belly is not too big, if you regularly exercise and you
are eating healthy, you don't have much to worry about.
Score lower than 25?
Good for you, but sorry, look at your belly, your exercise pattern and
your eating habits first, before you decide you are healty!
Some governments are starting to move away from using BMI as the
measure of health. Instead they usually include a few measures like
waist-to-hip ratio and waist measurement.
Have you worked out you are overweight? Then why not set yourself a
goal right now! Work out how much weight you need to lose to get in the
healthy range (BMI < 25). And then...? Start running
for weight loss!
New to running? Then you may want to check out the beginner
running tips section. It will help you get started
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