Do You Know Your Body Mass Index?

by Shauna Hanus

	Web www.buydietfood.com

Body Mass Index or BMI is an easy to calculate tool that is used to determine a person’s individual body weight.  Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is a relationship between your individual height and your weight.  As you score higher on the Body Mass Index (BMI) your chances for obesity and poor health increase.  If your score on the Body Mass Index (BMI) is low you may be underweight.

Around the mid 1800’s a Belgian named Adolphe Quetelet developed a system to determine a person’s ideal weight to height ratio.  This measure was known as the Quetelet index and is now known as the Body Mass Index or BMI.

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) provides and estimate of your bodies’ fat content.  When people score a 25 – 29 on the Body Mass Index (BMI) they are at increased risk for illnesses such as stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, high LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol.  The risks are magnified when your Body Mass Index (BMI) is above 30 in the obese category.

If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 20 you may be underweight and poorly nourished.

If you are an athlete or elderly your Body Mass Index (BMI) may not accurately reflect your overall health.  Athletes may score higher on the Body Mass Index (BMI) because muscle weighs more than fat.  The elderly may score too low on the Body Mass Index (BMI) because of decreased muscle mass and increased fat content.

Using the Body Mass Index (BMI) as an in home test is easy.  The calculation for Body Mass Index (BMI) is as follows:

BMI= (Weight in Kilograms) / (Height in meters squared)

If you test yourself and feel that you are outside the normal range of 20-25 on the Body Mass Index (BMI) you may want to consult with your family doctor for further tests.  

Shauna Hanus is a work at home mother that discovered after having children she had gone from a slender size 8 to a size 16.  Once she decided to do something about her weight she began to tell others what she has learned.  Shauna’s site http://www.buydietfood.com is dedicated to real people who want to lose weight and lead a healthy life style.  Shauna offers tips on weight loss, healthy diets and guides you through selecting a diet that will work for you.  Visit http://www.buydietfood.com to see how you can start leading a healthy active life today.