How to calculate your BMI

When it comes to obtaining a strong and sculpted midsection, there are many factors that come into play. In addition to targeted abdominal workouts, diet and exercise are key components to reducing midsection bulk. If you’re carrying around extra pounds or have a layer of fat obscuring your stomach muscles, it doesn’t matter how well-developed those muscles are—that “spare tire” will prevent them from rising to the surface.

Before taking steps toward losing weight and achieving your body’s ideal fitness level, it can be helpful to determine where you are currently in relation to the rest of the population. Your Body Mass Index (commonly referred to as BMI) is a scientific calculation of your total body fat ratio, relative to your height, weight, and (optionally) age. By common benchmarks, a BMI of 24 or less is recommended as indicating a healthy weight. In general, anyone with a BMI of 26 or 27 is deemed approximately 20% overweight. A BMI value of 30 or higher is considered overweight, while 40 or higher translates to obesity, which is linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. A high BMI paired with a large waist size (more than 40” for men and more than 35” for women) indicates a greater risk of health problems.

Today, you’ll find many websites that offer quick and easy BMI calculators, which allow you to plug in your height and weight (and, optionally, age and gender) to determine your Body Mass Index. You can then reference a BMI chart to match up your calculated figure to your height to determine what your ideal weight should be. However, if you’d like to perform the calculation yourself, you can follow the directions below:

1. Multiply your weight, in pounds, by 0.45 (example: 120 pounds x 0.45 = 54).
2. Multiply your height, in inches, by 0.025 (example: 5’4' or 64' x 0.25 = 1.6).
3. Multiply the answer from step 2 by itself (example: 1.6 x 1.6 = 2.56).
4. Divide the answer from step 1 by the answer from step 3 (example: 58.5 ÷ 1.65 = 21.09).

There is some controversy surrounding the importance of BMI in determining a healthy weight, especially for those individuals whose BMI qualifies as overweight when much of their mass is comprised of muscle. While BMI can be helpful in assessing your ideal body weight, it’s important to note that other indicators may be more accurate, such as your percentage of total body fat. Also, be aware that an extremely low BMI (18.5 or less) can be just as dangerous as a high one—being underweight carries its own set of life-threatening risks.

It’s also important to note that BMI can vary based on several social and demographic factors. For instance, the calculation is performed differently for children, and it can fluctuate based on location and race.

 Digg This Article |  Submit To Stumbleupon

Top Ab Training Guides: