Body Mass Index (BMI)
The body mass index (BMI) is a quick and easy way to see if your weight is within the normal or average range for your height. It might sound complicated, but your BMI is just a calculation using the ratio of your weight to your height to determine how much body fat you have.
The higher your BMI, the higher your risk of developing such conditions as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes.
While it is generally accurate, the BMI can read too high for athletes or others with large, heavy muscles. Likewise, it can exaggerate low readings for frail older people who have lost muscle mass.
Google “BMI” to find a calculator.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are underweight.
If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you are normal weight.
If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are overweight.
If your BMI is between 30 and 39.9, you are obese (more overweight).
If your BMI is 40 or over, you are dangerously obese.
Body Fat Calculator
• Use a cloth measuring tape.
• Be sure to measure your height with your shoes off.
• Measure the circumference of the neck from below the larynx with the tape sloping slightly down to the front.
• Women should measure their hips around the widest point.
• Finally, the NIH recommends that the best way to measure your waist size is to stand, then exhale completely, and place the tape measure around your middle, just above the hips.
Female
| Age | Underweight | Healthy Range | Overweight | Obese |
| 20-40 yrs | Under 21% | 21-33% | 33-39% | Over 39% |
| 41-60 yrs | Under 23% | 23-35% | 35-40% | Over 40% |
| 61-79 yrs | Under 24% | 24-36% | 36-42% | Over 42% |
Ideal Weight
If you want to find out what your ideal weight is, just type in “ideal weight” into google and check out several results. "Ideal weight" does not mean having an ideal body -- almost everyone has physical features they would like to change. Rather, ideal weight is a medical term that refers to how much you should weigh, based on your height, gender, and age. Doctors use a few different methods to determine whether you are overweight. The main approaches are measurements of your body mass index (BMI), your waist circumference, and your waist-to-hip ratio.
To measure your waist circumference: Wrap a tape measure around your middle at the level of your belly button. The risk of heart disease and diabetes increases if your waist circumference is more than 35 inches (88 cm) for a woman and more than 40 inches (102 cm) for a man. You should strive for a waist size less than 31.5 inches if you are a woman and less than 37 inches if you are a man.
To measure your waist-to-hip ratio: Measure your hip circumference at the level of the two bony prominences felt in the front of your hips. Then, divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Your waist-to-hip ratio should be below 0.8 for a woman and below 1.0 for a man.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Knowing your BMR can help you create a more effective strategy for weight loss, allowing you to better keep your calorie count on track and better understand the effect exercise will have on your waistline.
You BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.
Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.
Height—5 ft 10 in
Weight—155 lbs
Age—25 yrs
Daily Recommended Calories:
Activity level: very active
To lose about 1 lb. per week: 1,844
To maintain your weight: 2,344
If you rarely exercise—sedentary
If you exercise on 1 to 3 days per week—light active
If you exercise on 3 to 5 days per week—moderate active
If you exercise 6 to 7 days per week—very active
If you exercise every day and have a physical job or if you often exercise twice a day—extra active
Applying Your BMR Calculation to Weight Loss
Once you know your BMR and the number of calories you burn for your activity level, you can improve your weight-loss efforts by setting a lower daily calorie-intake limit and crafting a plan for increasing your physical activity:
Set your daily calorie limit. To lose weight, you need to reduce your caloric intake below your total daily calorie requirement indicated by your BMR + activity level. Putting yourself in a 500-calorie deficit every day should result in the loss of one pound per week (since there are 3,500 calories in a pound).
Adjust your exercise output. Our BMR calculator asks you for your level of physical activity for a very good reason. You can influence your BMR through exercise, spurring your body to burn more calories even after you’ve finished and are just lounging about.
• Aerobic exercise provides a temporary boost to your BMR, an effect sometimes referred to as after-burn or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, says Noelle Lusardi, a certified personal fitness trainer who also works at the Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J. Your BMR will return back to its normal level anywhere between 15 minutes and 48 hours.
• Strength training provides a more-lasting boost to BMR by altering your body's composition. Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat at rest. That's why men enjoy a naturally higher BMR than women, as they tend to have more muscle mass.
• If you cut calories and increase your BMR by exercising, you’ll see results even faster. Increase the amount of calories you burn by 250 each day, and you’ll lose a half-pound more on top of the calorie cuts made in your diet. You could exercise longer or you could increase the intensity of your workouts to burn more calories — either way will increase the calorie deficit.
The advantage of knowing your BMR is that you can learn the number of calories you need to consume and expend to meet your personal goal for weight loss.
Exercise that burns calories
30 minutes of _______ will burn ______ amount of calories for a 155 lb person.
Jogging 10 min mile—358
Jogging 9 min mile—394
Aerobics, high impact—251
Aerobics, 10-12 in. step—358
Kickboxing—358
Swimming laps—241-358 (depends on how fast)
Water Aerobics—153
Walking, leisurely pace—105
Walking at brisk pace—136
Bicycling, moderate effort—281
Hiking, cross country—211
Dancing, general—158
Rock climbing, ascending—387
Roller skating—246
Cross country skiing, moderate effort—281
Downhill skiing, moderate effort—211
Strength training (weight lifting)—105
Tennis—246
I also use the free online exercise videos at www.exercisetv.tv. They are a wonderful supplement to my workouts and they have lots of them to keep things varied and exciting.
Geneen’s Fitness Tips
§ Find a cardio that you love and stick to it! You need cardio at least 3 times a week to see the most effective results for your weight loss and overall health. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it increases your heart rate for 30 minutes or more!
§ Know that it’s going to be hard at first, but it WILL get easier. I promise!
§ Get a partner. If you are able to make this journey with one person or with many people, it makes it easier. Consider getting a partner or joining a fitness blog. People giving you constant encouragement makes all the difference.
§ If you fall off the wagon, get right back on. We all have bad days. They are normal and expected. Don’t get discouraged, just get right back on the wagon the next day and move on. Punishing yourself or feeling bad will not help. The only thing that works is persistence.
§ Getting healthy is a life-long journey. Once you reach your goal, the next goal is to maintain it, which is harder than reaching it in many ways. Changing your life is harder than dieting, but it can be done. Stick with it!
§ Remember the Lord in all your endeavors. He will help you to start, and to preserver until the end. Getting healthy is a righteous goal and you have the right to ask for help!
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