Body Mass Index, What Does It Mean For You?
You may have heard of Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI is a way to take compare your weight relative to others regardless of your height. Think of it this way, would you expect a 5′ tall person to weigh more or less than a 6′ tall person? Hopefully, you said the taller person should weigh more.
So how do you measure your BMI? The BMI is a ratio of your weight-to-height. For people using the English method of measurements (pounds and inches), the BMI formula is:
(weight in pounds / (height in inches) x (height in inches)) x 703 OR (weight in pounds / (height in inches)^2) x 703
For the metric lovers of the world, the equation is a little simpler:
weight in kilograms / (height in meters) x (height is meters) OR weight in kilograms / (height in meters)^2
An example will show you how this works. I’m 5′ 10″ and today I weighed in at 172.8 lbs (new record low). Converting my height from feet/inches to strictly inches = 5 x 12 + 10 = 60 + 10 = 70 inches.
BMI = (172.8 / 70 x 70)) x 703 = (172.8 / 4900) x 703 = 24.79
You can do either the English or metric calculation by using this body mass index calculator.
So what does it mean? I’ll let the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain the details. Suffice it to say, there are different ranges of BMI with anything less than 18.5 considered underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 considered normal (which is what category I am in for the first time in a long time), 25.0 to 29.9 overweight and 30.0 and above labeled obese.
BMI - another weigh (pun intended) to measure your overall health.
Technorati Tags: BMI, body mass index, bmi calculator
Other posts related to "Body Mass Index, What Does It Mean For You?"
You may have heard of Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI is a way to take compare your weight relative to others regardless of your height. Think of it this way, would you expect a 5′ tall person to weigh more or less than a 6′ tall person? Hopefully, you said the taller person should weigh more.
So how do you measure your BMI? The BMI is a ratio of your weight-to-height. For people using the English method of measurements (pounds and inches), the BMI formula is:
(weight in pounds / (height in inches) x (height in inches)) x 703 OR (weight in pounds / (height in inches)^2) x 703
For the metric lovers of the world, the equation is a little simpler:
weight in kilograms / (height in meters) x (height is meters) OR weight in kilograms / (height in meters)^2
An example will show you how this works. I’m 5′ 10″ and today I weighed in at 172.8 lbs (new record low). Converting my height from feet/inches to strictly inches = 5 x 12 + 10 = 60 + 10 = 70 inches.
BMI = (172.8 / 70 x 70)) x 703 = (172.8 / 4900) x 703 = 24.79
You can do either the English or metric calculation by using this body mass index calculator.
So what does it mean? I’ll let the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain the details. Suffice it to say, there are different ranges of BMI with anything less than 18.5 considered underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 considered normal (which is what category I am in for the first time in a long time), 25.0 to 29.9 overweight and 30.0 and above labeled obese.
BMI - another weigh (pun intended) to measure your overall health.
Technorati Tags: BMI, body mass index, bmi calculator
Other posts related to "Body Mass Index, What Does It Mean For You?"