Today, many people are highly focused on their health and wellness. For many, there is a need to understand their body as it is now, in order to understand how to make health improvements in the future.
Measurements of health
There are many aspects to consider when taking control of your health. One of the first measurements that people often think about is their weight. Finding a scale and weighing yourself and using that number can help give you an understanding of where your health stands.
What is BMI?
Once you have found your weight, you can use that number to find your Body Mass Index or BMI. BMI is a measurement of your weight compared to your height. This measurement can not only show us how much we weigh but also how carrying that weight may be healthy or unhealthy for our body size. Research shows that having a higher BMI can be detrimental to health.
How to calculate
When doing calculations, it’s often helpful to have an example. For this example, we are going to use an imaginary person named Bob!
Bob is interested in knowing more about his health. He is ready to learn more by finding out his BMI!
Step 1: He needs to know his current weight.
How to find it: Bob can use his scale at home to get his weight. If he doesn’t have a scale at home, his healthcare provider will likely have this information on file from his last visit.
Example: Bob has a digital scale at home. He steps on and finds out his weight is 330 pounds.
Step 2: Bob needs to know his height
How to find it: Bob can have someone measure him, or ask his healthcare professional for the most recent information they have.
Example: Bob has his partner measure him. He is 6 feet tall.
Step 3: Bob needs his height in inches squared
How to find it: Know the height in feet and the number 12
Calculate: Multiply the height in feet by the number 12. Then multiply this result by itself.
Example: For Bob this looks like: 6 feet x 12 = 72 inches 72 x 72 = 5,184
Step 5: Create the equation
How to find it: The equation for BMI is weight in pounds ÷ height in inches square multiplied by 703
Example: Bob’s equation is: 330 ÷ 5,184 X 703 =
Step 6: Calculate!
How to find it: Finally, Bob needs to calculate his final BMI
Calculate: Weight in pounds ÷ Height in inches squared X 703
Example: Bobs calculation is 330 lb ÷ 5,184 inches squared = 44.8
Find your range
Now that Bob has found his BMI, he can then find which BMI range he falls into. This information can give him a better understanding of his health. Here are the ranges according to the CDC.
Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5
Healthy weight: BMI is 18.5- 24.9
Overweight: BMI is 25-29.9
Obese: BMI is 30 and above
Based on these ranges, Bob’s BMI falls into the obese category.
What do I do next?
If you have found that you are like Bob and your BMI falls into one of the categories that is not a healthy weight, your next step is to get in touch with your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can sit down with you and help you to interpret your BMI further. They can also help you to understand what medical conditions you have now and which ones you may be at risk for based on your BMI.
Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/growthcharts/training/bmiage/page5_2.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html#Consequences