According to the Mayo Clinic, one in three Americans is considered obese. With obesity on the rise, it is important to understand what is considered a healthy body weight and body measurements. The scale serves as a good way to monitor your weight, but the number can be misleading. Although weight alone can indicate whether you are overweight or obese, several other measurements are considered better indicators of whether your body fat composition affects your health. Being overweight or obese greatly increases your risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease and certain types of cancer, the Weight-Control Information Network advises. Knowing your body measurements can help you live a healthy life.
Body Mass Index
Your body mass index, or BMI, relates to total body fat by measuring your weight in relation to your height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 means you are at a healthy weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicates you are overweight, while a BMI in excess of 30 means you are obese. BMI is often used to determine a person’s health risks because you can easily compute it at home with no assistance. To determine your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by height in metres squared (or measure your weight in pounds multipeyed by 703 and then divide that total by your height in inches squared). The resulting number is your BMI.
Waist Circumference
There are exceptions to this rule, which means a BMI figure may not be accurate. BMI calculations can overestimate the amount of body fat for bodybuilders or weight lifters, some high performance athletes and pregnant women, and underestimate it for elderly people or people with a physical disability who are unable to walk and may have muscle wasting. BMI is also not an accurate indicator for people with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or people with extreme obesity. Therefore the BMI is not the best measure of fatness or health risk. Increasingly experts believe that the type of fat and where it is on your body may be more important than BMI – and that your waist circumference is really the figure that you should pay attention to. Ideally 94cm (37in) for men and 80cm (32in) for women, waist circumference should not exceed 102cm (40in) and 88cm inches respectively, the Weight-Control Information Network advises. Readings in excess mean you have a higher risk for potentially life-threatening diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You can easily determine your waist circumference by wrapping a measuring tape around your waist
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Another body measurement that can serve as a tool to assess your overall health is the waist-to-hip ratio. Waist and hip measurements are common body circumference measurements because excess abdominal fat is associated with an increased health risk of Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, according to the American Council on Exercise. To calculate waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip circumference in either centimeters or inches. The smaller the number, the better. ExRx.net says to measure your waist around the narrowest point between your ribs and hips when viewed from the front after exhaling. Hip circumference is measured at the point where the buttocks area is maximally extended. Men with a waist-to-hip ratio less than .90 and women with a ratio less than .80 have a low risk of associated health issues.
Body Fat
Body fat is essential for your body to function properly, but there are two types of fat tissue. Essential fat is needed for functioning of the kidneys, muscles, liver, spleen and intestines. Stored fat, the fat made up of adipose tissue, is used for energy. This is the fat that can increase to dangerous amounts when you have a high body fat percentage. The American Council of Exercise suggests a fit woman has between 21 and 24 percent body fat and a fit man has between 14 and 17 percent. If you are a woman with 32 percent body fat or higher, or a man with 25 percent or higher, you are considered obese. MayoClinic.com suggests asking your doctor about getting your body fat checked because clinical methods give the most accurate measurements. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry uses a full-body X-ray scan to determine body fat, and hydrodensitometry uses underwater techniques.
Skinfolds
Skinfold tests are commonly done at gyms to help you find your body fat. However, they can have up to 3 percent error. The skinfold technique involves the use of calipers to pinch the skin at various locations; the triceps, pectorals, quadriceps, shoulder blade and abdomen are common testing sites. A fold of skin is pulled away from the underlying muscle so the calipers measure only the fat tissue.
BIA
Bioelectric Impedance Analysis, or BIA, determines the electrical impedance, or opposition to the flow of an electric current through the body. Muscle has high water content, and is highly conductive, while fat has lower water content and is not highly conductive. Based on the strength of the impedance along with height and weight metrics, the BIA scale will estimate fat-free body mass and body fat percentage. Many consumer weight scales also come with BIA capabilities, and there are others that require holding the BIA device in your hands. Because the BIA test is based on body water balance, your state of hydration can impact the level of accuracy.
Online
You can use online tools to estimate your body fat at home. HealthStatus.com, for example, offers an online calculator based on a formula originated by the United States Army and Navy. This method uses body circumference measurements to estimate body fat percentages. The calculation uses waist, neck, and height circumference for men and hips, neck, and height for women. .
When To Take Action
Body measurements in excess of the ideal for BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio generally indicate your health may be at risk and you should take steps to lead a healthier life. The Weight-Control Information Network advises that men talk to their medical practitioners about how their weight affects their health if they have a BMI above 30 or a waist circumference greater than 40 or a BMI between 25 and 30 and also have weight-related health conditions or a family history of type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Your doctor likely will tell you what you already know: losing weight by improving your diet and getting more exercise will reduce your risk factors for these chronic and life-threatening medical conditions. Adding regular aerobic activity to your daily routine will help you burn calories and decrease fat. Find an activity you like, and aim to train aerobically for at least 30 minutes a day. Strength training is also necessary to alter body composition because it helps build lean muscle mass. Having more muscle on your body will help you burn more calories throughout your day and reduce fat.