BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it is a scale used to show how healthy you are based on your height and weight. It is one of the most widely used method to represent your health but just how accurate is it?
BMI takes two factors into consideration, height and weight, and by using the two we can calculate your height relative to your weight. And using this ratio we compare it the standards or norms. For example if you’re height is X cm’s and your weight is Y kgs we then get a ratio of Z. This is then compared to the global norms which will tell you if you are very overweight, overweight, normal, underweight and very underweight for example. These norms are available online and the equation to calculate your BMI is; BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height2 (m)
Due to the two factors associated with BMI we can see there would be some discrepancies in this testing method. Lets say you are a an exceptionally tall individual, when we calculate your BMI it is bound to be high because of your height and therefore this method may prove insufficient in telling you if you are at a healthy weight or not. The same will apply to someone who is much smaller in height.
There are many other testing methods to show how how healthy you are ranging from basics such as skin fold testing to the more expensive, yet accurate methods such as hydrostatic weighing.
At Talha Life Fitness we use a range of testing techniques to get the most accurate results for our members. If you have any questions regarding any testing methods please feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to help and answer any and all questions you may have.