The BMI index is a tool that was invented at the beginning of the NINETEENTH century. While there are not many health and fitness tools that were created in the early 1800 that we continue to use today, the BMI index remains relatively unchanged in almost 200 years. It is still a popular tool that is used to determine if a person's weight is healthy. BMI simply compares your weight to your height and decides whether you have low weight, normal weight, overweight or obesity. Most of us can look in the mirror or notice if we have to tighten our pants or not, and determine this without the use of numbers and calculations. But that doesn't prevent doctors from using BMI and, worse, insurance companies.
Insurance companies often use a person's BMI to determine if the person is a risk to ensure. Health insurance costs may be higher for those who have a BMI in the rank of overweight or obesity, and life insurance may be higher or can be rejected altogether. While it is within the rights of these companies to refuse to secure anyone, using the BMI index to make that determination represents a flawed thought, unless other factors are also considered.
The BMI index determines a person's BMI by dividing its weight by its height squared (its height is measured by itself). When kilograms and meters become pounds and feet or inches, the formula changes very slightly, but the resulting BMI number is very close to the number obtained using kilograms and meters. For most people, the BMI index is a decent measure of its weight in proportion to its height. But for some, it comes with a label that is very far away.
Consider a championship bodybuilder. It is one of the best in the world in the light weight division, with 5 ' 3 ' and 154 lbs. Man is a solid muscle, and he has an incredible physical shape. The BMI index says you are overweight and need to lose weight. When you take your height by yourself and divide it into your weight, you get a BMI of almost 27. The limit for normal weight is 24.9. Clearly, it is not overweight, with just an ounce of body fat anywhere. But an insurance company won't mind that, they could deny you insurance based on your "high risk" BMI.
Once you have used the formula to calculate your number in the BMI index, you can see where it is located in terms of the healthy weight. A person has a low weight with a BMI of 18.5 or less. The normal weight range is 18.5 to 24.9. From 25 to 29.9 indicates that you are overweight. And anyone with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. Try to connect the heights and weights of some professional athletes, and see how many are classified as obese with the BMI index.
This makes it clear that while it is a valuable tool, common sense, appearance, and body fat should be considered along with the BMI index to determine a person's ideal weight.
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