Body Mass Index (BMI)

• Do you know how a BMI Calculator can help you stay fit and healthy?
• Are you aware how a BMI Calculator for women is different from a BMI Calculator for men?
• Have you ever tried finding out how the BMI calculator metric works?
• Is there a way in which you can use a BMI Calculator for kids?

Staying healthy these days is a matter of great concern for everyone around the world. While there is a global movement on health and fitness, there are many who ignore staying healthy.

The increase in workload, external and internal stresses, along with erratic lifestyle patterns are contributing to health problems. However, most of us do not know whether we are unfit or unhealthy in the first place.

Is there a simple way in which everyone across age groups and gender can check whether they are healthy or unhealthy?

In this article, we will look at the basics of a BMI Calculator. We will also look at the history behind the health tool. In addition, we will see how you can use the BMI calculator for everyone in the family.

History of the BMI Calculator

If you thought that the BMI Calculator was a recent innovation, think again. The formula and the BMI calculator metric was first discovered in the 1830s.

A Belgian Astronomer and Mathematician, Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet invented the formula. However, Ancel Keys, a researcher coined the modern term ‘Body Mass Index’ in 1972. It sought to study how the weight and height of a person should fall under a certain percentage.

Keys relied heavily on the 1830 formula devised by Quetelet in researching over 7400 people in America. This period saw the rise of obesity in America and many other parts of the world. As the situation started assuming endemic proportions, most doctors and professionals in the medical industry started to use the BMI Calculator aggressively to study health and fitness levels.

Keys also stressed on the fact that the BMI calculator for men and the BMI calculator for women was entirely different.

How to calculate your ideal BMI using the BMI Calculator?

Calculating your BMI is not a complex process. Rather, it uses a simple formula of height and weight to calculate BMI. The formula for calculating the same is as follows-

BMI = weight in kgs/ height in meters.

Once you place the same for your body, you will start seeing a percentage point score. The following are the averages, which are considered healthy-

• A Body Mass Index of 18.49 or anything below is termed underweight.
• A Body Mass Index between the ranges of 18.49 to 25.99 terms it normal and healthy.
• A Body Mass Index in the range of 25 to 29.99 terms the person as overweight.
• A Body Mass Index of over 30 is dangerous and is termed as obese.

While there are many who criticise the simplistic formula on various grounds, a BMI calculator continues to be one of the most popular health tools to check how healthy a person is.

Criticisms of Keys and Quetelet’s BMI Calculator

Many have argued that when the formula was first evolved, these researchers and mathematicians did not have access to technology. Without computers and software, complications could not have been taken into account.

Later on, scientists and health experts also point to the fact that this BMI formula does not take into account muscle mass or fat quotient. They have tried to push several other pieces of complicated calculations to rectify the points overlooked by the BMI calculator.

One major point of criticism stems from the fact that the BMI index for athletes cannot be determined using this formula. Athletes have muscles, and muscles are heavier than fat.

However, there is one important point that needs to be taken into consideration. In a world of over seven billion people, how many people are athletes, body builders, or weight lifters?

If people are already into serious sports and fitness, they already have access to the best studies and reports. The majority amongst us who do not have the time, energy or resources need something simpler and time tested.

This is why the BMI Calculator for Men and the BMI Calculator for Women is simple, useful and highly informative.

Why having a healthy BMI Index is essential for you

While most people look at the obvious benefits of having a healthy BMI Index, the picture is not as easy as it looks.

There is no secret that an unhealthy body invites more diseases and infections. Heart ailments, increase in cholesterol level, greater risk of diabetes are some clear and present dangers.

However, in addition to the above stated risks, there are different sets of problems as well. For example, your health and medical insurance might get dearer if you have a poor BMI Index.

Your friendly family doctor can also start prescribing more and more tests and prescriptions if you have a higher BMI Index.

In recent years, companies and corporations have also started using BMI Index as part of their on-boarding process. This point should be taken very seriously for professionals who are seeking better opportunities.

Regularly checking your BMI Index and finding out whether it is within a healthy range or not is going to give you a head start.

BMI Calculator: Should you integrate this regularly in your lifestyle?

While there are, other tools and formula that you can use to check whether you are healthy or not, BMI calculator continues to be the best. This is because the formula is simple, tested and widely used. A BMI calculator for men and a BMI calculator for women helps leading a healthy lifestyle and modify diet patterns.

It is also important to follow a regular healthy lifestyle, eat well and exercise regularly. While a health tool can be a good starting point, it is important not to define our lives by the BMI calculator metric.

Staying healthy and not getting obese should be the key goals for any individual. Being under weight or over weight both, are not good signs. Being within the BMI index range for being healthy is essential to lead a personally and professionally happy and productive life.

Can you think of some other digital health tools that are used by many people?