BMI Test
BMI is the acronym for Body Mass Index, which is basically a way of measuring the correlation between your height and weight. A lot of people think that a BMI test the only tool you need to know the percentage of your body fat. However, this is not simply true since there are other things that are not reflected in your BMI when you make that test. What we really get from the calculation of your BMI is an estimate whether you have a healthy body weight or not.
Generalized Estimates
A loosely fit rule of thumb is that when you have a higher BMI it is thought that you have a greater percentage of body fat. A BMI that is under 20 is generally thought to show that a person is underweight. In case your BMI is somewhere in between 20 to 25 then it is estimated that you are for the most part a healthy person. Anything going above 25 is generally considered overweight. People with a BMI above 35 are believed to be obese.
Calculators and Charts
A couple of important tools to help you measure your body mass index are BMI charts and BMI calculators. It is necessary to consult these tools when you do a BMI test. Many web sites related to promoting good health and diet will have BMI charts displayed. You can consult the said charts after doing your calculations.
In case you don’t want to do things manually, then you can look for an online BMI calculator. Once you have one displayed on your screen, all you have to do is to fill out all the required fields and the tool will do the necessary calculations for you. Other than displaying your BMI, you will also get an estimate whether you have a healthy BMI and perhaps some recommendations.
Calculating Things Manually
If you want calculate your body mass index manually, here are the things you need to do. First off, weigh yourself on a weighing or bathroom scale, measure it in pounds. Measure your height in inches. Next, multiply the number of inches of you height by the same number, thus getting it squared. Divide your weight by the figure you just calculated. Finally, multiply the result by 703. The outcome is your BMI. Use a BMI chart to estimate whether you have a healthy weight for your height.
Shortcomings of a BMI Test
There are certain things that a BMI test can’t account for. For instance, your body mass index will not take into account your muscle mass. For example, a body builder who has a large muscle mass and is rather short may come up as an obese when you use a BMI calculator. Remember that muscles weigh more than body fat thus a BMI test will not come up with accurate results or estimates in such cases.
Of course, body mass index calculations also have other shortcomings and limitations. Others think of it as a rather too simplistic a method since it also doesn’t take into account an individual’s bone mass. The body composition of athletes, women, men, and the elderly will have certain factors that a BMI calculation cannot completely account for.
Popular culture has often brought the misconception that if you get a good score on a BMI test then you’re a healthy person. There are a lot of other things that must be considered before you can determine this. It is still best to go to your doctor and get professional opinion. Treat the figures you get from your BMI calculations as a guide and a tool and not the final determining factor of your health.