Is the Body Mass Index Accurate in Letting You Know if You Are Obese?
The body mass index (BMI) was designed to help quickly determine whether a person was at risk for complications due to an excess fat leading to obesity. In this respect, it is a fast easy to use tool to use. Nevertheless, the mirror and the old pinch an inch tests are still valid and they don't take as long to do. It's just that they aren't all that technical in this day and age.
The simplicity of the index is also its negative, as it does not accurately predict who is fat or obese. This is particularly true for a person with greater than normal lean muscle.
If you compare two people of the same weight, one an athlete and the other a couch potato, the BMI will categorize them the same. Obviously, this is not a correct assessment.
Speaking directly to the situation, obesity is an excess of body fat. You can feel it and see it. A high BMI implies the person needs to examine their physical condition. Addressing such issues as the potential for diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease is a good start and for this, the BMI is a good tool.
Granted there are people with a higher than recommended BMI who are healthy, yet they are still at a greater risk for health problems than are those with a more moderate BMI.
A quick glance at the calculator provided here http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/ will give you your body mass index number. If it is on the high side then schedule an appointment with your doctor and start working on bringing it back to the normal range again.
Exercise and calorie control are the two keys to a healthier life. Get off the couch and start walking around the room, the yard, driveway or woodland path. It is not a difficult task to start exercising, but it will take an effort on your part to begin. Write what you do down in a logbook so you can track your daily progress.
At the end of the month, you will be surprised at what you've accomplished…if you keep doing it!