Body Mass Index Calculator

All About BMI (Body Mass Index)

The Body Mass Index is a widely known measure of whether or not someone has is a "healthy" weight for their size. Though BMI is not the end all of whether or not an individual is healthy (this is talked about in depth in the YourBestBodyNOW Weight Loss Program), is a good general tool that the average person may find beneficial to assessing their overall health and fitness picture.

In a nutshell, BMI compares your weight to your height and comes up with an index figure that gives you a snapshot of where you stand in relationship to other people within the same height and weight group.

A "healthy" adult is will generally have a BMI of somewhere between 18.5 and 25. A person with an index that falls between 25 and 30 is generally considered overweight, with an index above 30 getting into the range of obesity. Below an 18.5 BMI is considered to be underweight for the most part.

Limitations to BMI

In recent years the body mass index has been used less than it has in the past due to several limitations that it has as an indicator of health and fitness levels:

• Very muscular bodies - muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore many body builders, high-performance athletes, and any others who may carry an unusual amount of muscle on their physiques can be perfectly healthy with a BMI that would identify the average person as overweight.

• Elderly - many times it is actually healthier for the elderly to have an above average BMI---typically up to about a 27. The additional body mass tends to help protect the skeleton against osteoporosis. Strengthening the bones and connecive tissue through weight-bearing exercises may also help to prevent the disease. These exercises will also help to ensure that as much of the additional weight as possible is accounted for in muscle rather than fat.

• Children - it is best to refer to your child's pediatrition to get an accurate measure of what their weight should be for a given height. The information supplied here should never be applied to children.

• Certain body types - genetically, there are some body types which can carry above average weight while being perfectly healthy. It is generally due to carrying more muscle than average bodies, though not necessarily looking like a bodybuilder per se.

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