"Are you at a healthy
weight? Measure your body mass index and waist hip ratio.
Find out what the terms healthy weight, overweight, and
obese really mean." http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/basics.htm
Obesity
is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat compared
to lean body mass (muscle, bones, organs and other tissues).
Where you wear this excess body fat (or adiposity) as
well as how much excess body fat you have are both of
concern. Regardless of where you are carrying this excess
fat, it is putting a strain on your heart and joints,
as well as increasing your risk of disease, including
diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Overweight
refers to increased body weight in relation to height,
when compared to some standard of acceptable or desirable
weights. Overweight may or may not be due to increases
in body fat. For example, professional athletes may be
very lean and muscular, with very little body fat, yet
they may weigh more than others their same height simply
because of their larger muscle mass. While they may qualify
as "overweight," they are not necessarily "over
fat."
So
how do you measure your body fat?
Body fat and it's distribution can be estimated by skinfold
measures, underwayer weighing, bioelectrical impedance,
or by techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography,
or magnetic resonance imaging. The majority of these tests
require expensive equipment and highly skilled technicians.
Because of this scientists have developed simple tools
that you can use in the privacy of your own home to help
you determine if you are in a healthy weight range for
your body (BMI) as well as how you carry your fat (WC
and WHR)
Body Mass
Index (BMI) is a common measure expressing the relationship
(or ratio) of your bodyweight-to-height. BMI is a mathematical
formula in which a person's body weight in kilograms is
divided by the square of his or her height in meters (i.e.,
wt/(ht)2. The BMI is more highly correlated with body
fat than any other indicator of height and weight.
Click
here for the BMI calculator
Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight,
while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered
obese.
For more
information on BMI visit:
Body
Mass Index for Adults
Body
Mass Index-for-Age (Age 2 to 20 years)
Waist circumference is a common measure used to assess
abdominal fat content. The presence of excess body fat
in tummy area, when out of proportion to total body fat,
is considered an independent predictor of other health
problems associated with obesity.
What
waist size is risky?
Waist-to-hip
ratio (WHR) is the ratio of a person's waist circumference
to hip circumference, mathematically calculated as the
waist circumference divided by the hip circumference.
For most people, carrying extra weight around their middle
increases health risks more than carrying extra weight
around their hips or thighs. (NOTE: Overall obesity is
still more risky than body fat storage locations or waist-to-hip
ratio.)
What
waist-to-hip ratio is considered risky?
For both men and women, a waist-to-hip ratio of 1.0 or
higher is considered "at risk" or in the danger
zone for undesirable health consequences, such as heart
disease and other ailments connected with being overweight.
What
is a good waist-to-hip ratio?
For men, a ratio of .90 or less is considered safe. This
means that your waist is 90% of your hips...so you can
do your belt up tighter around your waist than your hips.
For women, a ratio of .80 or less is considered safe.
Women tend to have more of a "curvy" figure
so our waist should be 80% of our hips.
How to measure waist
circumference:
With a tape measure, comfortably measure the distance
around the smallest area below the rib cage and above
the umbilicus (belly button).
How to measure hip
circumference:
With a tape measure, comfortably measure the distance
around the largest extension of the buttocks.
