BMI, Telling the Wrong Story?

Thin is good and fat is bad...right? Well according to BMI (Body Mass Index) charts this is correct. That's why using general guidelines for BMI is NOT telling the whole story, and in some cases it's telling the wrong story. A person who is muscular can easily have a BMI reading in the obese category. This is because BMI is a simple measurement, invented long ago and never changed, that only accounts for your weight and height. What's missing in this equations...  MUSCLE! Muscles are good, NO... muscles are GREAT! You want muscles to help burn body fat which means you will be comprised of lean body mass rather than fat, or simply skin and bone. We use the term "skinny fat." Tons of people come into the gym to have their lean body mass read. Although they have just been to the doctor, and their BMI is "ideal," their body fat is in the 30 percent range. Then they get this confused look on their face. I (Juliane) say, "Do you lift weights?" Usual response, "no but I run on the treadmill for an hour every day." Well there's the number one problem. Without lifting weights or doing some type of resistance training, you can never build muscles to have a lean body mass. This means you can be thin, but still have a high body fat and be unhealthy. Yet another awesome reason to hit the weights. I highly suggest you stop using the BMI chart to base your health, and get your body fat percentage calculated. Most gyms offer this service for free. Below is a chart of general body fat percentages. Sorry ladies... men genetically have a lower body fat.

 

 

The Futrex (shown above) is what I use to give body fat percentage readings. It's simple yet very accurate. Below is a body fat percentage reader that I have at home. It's not quite as accurate as the Futrex but it gets the job done.

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