For those who are teaching health and fitness courses, one of the more important aspects of your work is teaching about body mass index (BMI) and how it works for each person. While many people understand the basics of weight, the BMI chart provides a new viewpoint that will help them fully grasp how it affects their health. By using a BMI calculator, every person can have their BMI assessed so that they can properly plan what to do next in terms of what they eat and how much they exercise.
What is Body Mass Index?
BMI has been in use for centuries and is used by physicians around the world to get a basic assessment of a patient’s body mass. The current BMI scale was first used in the 1830s and today it is found around the world to help people better understand whether they should gain or lose weight to have a healthier body.
How it works is by calculating the weight of a person by their height. The concept being that the taller a person is, the more weight will be present. So, by using a BMI chart and a measuring device for height and weight, you can quickly determine if a person should gain, lose, or remain at the same weight.
How the BMI Chart Works
If you look at the chart, you’ll see that the columns are divided by the weight and the rows indicate the height. By triangulating the height and weight, you can see if you are underweight, at a normal weight, overweight, or obese. By using colors, it makes it easier to see where your weight is in terms of where you are and where you need to be.
For example, a person who is 5’ 10†tall should weight from 130 to 170 pounds to be considered at a healthy weight. Anything more than 170 is considered overweight and above 220 is considered obese.
Given that so many people are overweight or obese according to the BMI chart, there has been some resistance to accept it as fact in today’s modern age. However, repeated studies have shown that the BMI does have merit in terms of how much a person should weight to be healthy.
The chart itself is perfect for health and fitness classes that demonstrate to students and those who want to improve their health where they stand in terms of their weight. The educational applications make it a great resource for young and older people alike as they can better understand how it works.
The body mass index remains the cornerstone of measurements that help people discover if they are at a healthy weight. By using the BMI calculator, a person can quickly ascertain whether they need to gain or lose weight according to the BMI chart. The good news is that the chart itself is easy to use, so a person can refer to it regularly to see if they are on the right track to a proper weight for their height.