Understanding Your Body

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Understanding your body

Understanding your body mass index

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The focus of this lesson is to understand the body mass index (BMI), how this concept applies to the body and to health goals, and what challenges and chronic diseases you could be facing.  Even if you do not fall within a category with health risks, you can learn about the health challenges and chronic diseases around being overweight and obese. Lastly, you will learn about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and the benefits of being at an ideal body percentage. 

In this lesson, you will cover

    • what a BMI is;
    • a formula to calculate your body mass index;
    • the limitations to the BMI indicator;
    • a chart to understand what your current BMI means;
    • the health challenges and chronic diseases of being overweight and obese; and
    • the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and being at an ideal body percentage.

Enter your height and weight into the Body Mass Index Calculator below.

Now that you have calculated your BMI, you must understand what it means to you.

What does the body mass index mean?

Now that you have calculated your BMI, you must understand what it means to you. The concept of the body mass index is a ratio that calculates your health by measuring your weight relative to height. Your BMI is an indicator of where you lie on the spectrum from underweight to obese. Those who fall outside the healthy range on the chart may face multiple health challenges now and chronic diseases in the future.

Body mass index formula

Your body weight in pounds divided by your height in inches² x 703 = Body mass index

Weight (lbs) / height in inches² x 703 = BMI

Example:

169 lbs. / (70 in. x 70 in.) x 703 = BMI = 24.24 

In this example, this person’s body mass index equals 24.24. Therefore, they would be considered within the normal to healthy weight category. 

Limitations of the BMI

There are two limitations to using the body mass index. 

First, this measurement doesn’t consider the endomorph body type, where the bone density is heavier and the body structure is broader. For example, I have a friend who has an endomorphic body type. Even though she has a broader frame and is “thick,” she is extremely fit. If you were to look at her, she has a six-pack of abs and is muscular. Therefore, her BMI calculation places her in the obese range, and she is not obese.

Second, this measurement doesn’t take into consideration muscle mass. Muscle weighs more. Therefore, the BMI of more muscular people like my friend and bodybuilders will place them in the overweight to obese range even though they are fit.

Understanding Your BMI

Please look at your calculated BMI number using the chart below.

Body-Mass-Index-Standard-Table-1024x322

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Screenshot of body mass index standards table [image]. Retrieved from  https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html#Used

The health challenges and chronic diseases that result from being overweight and obese.

Next, look at the health challenges and chronic diseases you risk if you stay at your current dangerous BMI. As you do your research, list the threats you are facing. My goal is to make you aware of what challenges and risks you are currently at and what could happen if you do not do anything about it.

I hope to help you understand

    • that losing weight may not be an option
    • what serious health risks are at each stage of being overweight to obese
    • how important it is to be at a healthy weight and body fat percentage

Please click the links below. I would like you to start with your current body fat category.

I hope you learned much about the importance of a healthy weight and fat body fat percentage. I also hope you understand what current risks you are facing if you are not at a healthy weight. Please write down anything that surprises you and scares you. Also, please reflect, then write down why meeting your weight goals and staying healthy is crucial.

In the following few lessons, we will calculate your goal weight to reach (and stay at) a healthy body fat weight and percentage.

Side note: Please write down information in your notebook for easy reference. You will be asked to share your body mass index percentage in the Body Assessment.