A healthy weight chart is a rather simple tool you can use to help determine whether or not your weight falls within the ideal range for your age, height, and gender.
Some weight charts take several different factors into consideration when it comes to determining one's ideal weight such as body frame and age so you will want to familiarize yourself with the chart's guidelines to make the most of your results.
Being fit and maintaining the ideal body weight have become rather important topics of discussion as people everywhere struggle with diet, exercise, and achieving better health.
Unfortunately, obesity has become one of the leading factors that contribute toward a host of serious ailments and diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers.
Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a defining factor in regards to gauging your physical fitness and this number is used as a universal method by health care professionals in measuring obesity.
To determine your BMI you will need to divide your weight by your height in inches squared and then multiply that number by 703.
You can find helpful BMI calculators for adults at CDC.Gov...
Finding your number on a healthy weight chart is a bit easier and you will also quickly be able to see where you are in terms of being underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.
A BMI of less than 18.5 puts you in the underweight category while a number between 19 and 24.9 indicates that for your height, you are probably within the recommended weight range. 25 to 29.9 is the overweight category and a BMI of 30 or higher indicates that you may be obese.
While certainly a helpful guideline, your Body Mass Index is not the only number you should know and pay attention to as your waist size will be another important factor in measuring your overall health and wellness. Finding your waist size and waist-to-hip size ratio on a healthy weight chart will tell you how much extra fat is stored in and around the stomach area.
For the majority of people, the general guideline for a healthy waist size is less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men. A higher waist-to-hip ratio indicates you are apple shaped as opposed to pear shaped meaning you carry more body fat around the stomach instead of below the waistline and are more likely to develop one or more health problems as a result.
You can find out if you are apple or pear shaped by dividing your waist size by your hip size.
Women who have waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 are considered to be apple shaped while men with a ratio of more than 1.0 are at risk of obesity related ailments.
Keep in mind that you may have an ideal BMI but a waist-to-hip ratio that is too high, making it imperative to adopt better eating habits and incorporate exercise into your regimen.
It is in your best interest to look toward a healthy weight chart for overall guidance and as a way to help you reach your ultimate goal of maintaining the ideal weight and staying fit.