Monday, August 12, 2013

What is your BMI?

One of the reason I started my healthy journey was an iPhone app that told me what my BMI (Body Mass Index) was.  That night  I was in shock and sick to my stomach.  Not only was I obese, but severely obese.  This realization propelled me into the journey that I am on today.

Use the chart below to find your BMI:
Now that you know your BMI, it is important for these reasons:

If your BMI is high, you may have an increased risk of developing certain diseases
including:

-high blood pressure
-heart disease
-high cholesterol and blood lipids (LDL)
-Type 2 Diabetes
-sleep apnea
-osteoarthritis
-female infertility
-gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) 

If our BMI is not where it should be, we have to choose to make some healthy changes.  The best way to lower your BMI is weight loss.  When you lower it to normal range, you have a better chance of not getting the conditions above. 

I also know that health insurance uses this chart to determine if you are in a healthy range.  With the changes, you could be paying double or even triple the price of your insurance if you are not in the normal range. {article}  This is going to be our future, so it is important that we make healthy choices for ourselves.  

But most importantly, do it for youself.....your children.....your grand children.  If we will choose to lose.....we will be on our way to a healthier lifestyle and a longer life!