BMI vs. Waist to Hip Ratio

In the previous post I mentioned visiting the Body World's Vital exhibit. While in the exhibit you can enter your weight and height to find out your BMI. The machine then tells you if you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. I watched several people do this. One man who looked like he was in excellent shape and had a lot of muscle on his body entered the information and then laughed, found his wife, and she also began laughing. I hopped over once they left curious what was so funny. The machine was telling this man he was overweight and boarderline obese. Even more curious I did the same...and it told me I was also overweight.

Here's the deal...BMI only takes into consideration your height and weight. That's it. If you are muscular it's not accurate.

But, I'm not one to complain or critique without offering a solution. Simply measure your waist and hips then find your waist-hip ratio to really see how healthy you are. Why? Your health is not only affected by how much body fat you have, but also by where most of the fat is located on your body. If your fat is located more in your waist area than in your hips you are at increased risk for the health problems associated with obesity, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.

Strength training has proven to actually change the shape of your body! So, strength training, cardio, healthy food choices and an overall healthy lifestyle can help decrease your waist-hip ratio. I always am telling my clients, "Your waist is 80% what you eat and only 20% what you do and think". Sedentary lifestyles, stress and poor nutrition choices are all contributors to abdominal fat.

Here's how you find your ratio:
Use a measuring tape (and partner if possible) to check the waist and hip measurements
- Measure your hip circumference - put both feet together, look straight ahead and measure around the part of your bottom that sticks the furthest
- Measure your waist circumference at the belly button or just above it.
- Take your waist measurement divided by your hip measurement and use the chart below

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
Male	Female	Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below	0.80 or below	Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0	0.81 to 0.85	Moderate Risk
1.0+	0.85+	High Risk