Many people still don’t know what BMI stands for. This is an extremely important number regarding living a healthy lifestyle. BMI is short for body mass index. Many doctors use this tool to determine if a person is underweight, at a healthy weight, or obese. In other words this is the ratio of height to weight. There is a formula to figure out one’s body mass index. Take the weight of the person in pounds, divide by the person’s height in inches and multiply by 703. This will then leave a number.

For example: if a person is 67 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, they would have a BMI of 28.2. There is a chart that then tells where this number falls. If the number is less than 18.5 is considered underweight. If the number is 18.5 to 24.9 it is normal weight. If the number is 25 to 29.9 this is considered the overweight category. Numbers 30 or higher are considered to be in the obese category. So what does all this mean? Many health care providers are now saying that having a healthy BMI is more important than watching weight.

People who follow the guidelines for healthy BMI have less fat, are more active and fewer health problems. BMI measures fairly accurately approximately how much body fat a person has. Many people who try to get healthier by losing weight often stop, because the scale doesn’t always show weight loss. When dieting and exercising, one’s BMI may show a loss faster than the scale. 

How to change one’s BMI. Depending on whether the number is high or low, there are steps to take to change it. One wants to remain in the normal area, so if it is high, reduce calorie intake, and find activities to increase heart rate. If these changes are incorporated moderately, it will be quite easy to make the changes towards a healthier lifestyle. And the healthier lifestyle led, the better the BMI number becomes.

Remember to incorporate fruits, veggies, and lean meats into diet and to avoid fast foods, carbohydrates, sodas, and refined sugars. In addition, avoiding alcohol can help lead to a healthier lifestyle and BMI. When trying to change your number, just remember to take small steps, not try to change overnight, and slowly build activities up. In time a healthy BMI will appear, and one can see why it is important to maintain.

If you like this article, click here to share: