To understand why your BMI is so beneficial and important in improving your health, you must first understand what BMI is and how it is calculated. BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is simply a measurement of your body fat, based on your height and weight. The benefits that can come from knowing your BMI and understanding what your BMI means are endless.
Body Mass Indexes are placed into four categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity. Here is how the scaling works:
- Underweight: Less than18.5
- Normal Weight: Between 18.5 and 24.9
- Overweight: Between 25 and 29.9
- Obesity: 30+
There are many websites that allow you to quickly and easily enter in your height and weight, which then calculate your total BMI immediately. One of our favorite calculators can be found on the National Heart, Lunch and Blood Institute website here: http://1.usa.gov/H0jRK3. Since the process takes less than a minute and these calculators are so readily available, there is no excuse for not knowing your BMI.
Now that you know you BMI, take a look to find what category you fall under. Are you underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese? Once you understand which category you are in, you can then determine whether lifestyle changes need to be made or not. Typically, if you are in anything other than the “normal” weight category, changes should be made, however, just because you fall into “normal” does not mean you are perfect, nor does it necessarily mean you are healthy. Body Mass Indexes are a guideline. They are very broad, which you may have already guessed considering there are only four categories for all of the possible weights a person may have.
Finding out your BMI is the easy part; knowing what changes need to be made is the hard part. Dr. Paul Budnick specializes in this area and strives to find the best possible solutions for your specific body type, lifestyle and BMI. Schedule a consultation today to meet with Dr. Budnick and find out how you can work to changing your BMI for the better with one of our specialized services. For more information on BMI and to learn how being over-weight and Cancer may be related, read our article called: Are You Overweight? Learn Why Being Overweight Can Increase Your Chances of Breast Cancer