Home » Exercise and Fitness » Body Mass Index (BMI) You probably always knew your weight and suspected that you are overweight. But have you ever wondered if you really are so? And more importantly, in case you are overweight, by how many kilos are you overweight. The Body Mass Index (BMI) might be only a number, but it reveals very important facts about your body. One of the most significant measures of health and fitness, the BMI is the measurement of the total fat that you have in your body, correlating the latter with whether you are fit and to what extent are you fit. It is an important tool which helps you to determine how much weight you need to lose or gain or prevent. In the process, it offers a ready glimpse into your level of fitness. You will probably find a BMI chart at the doctor's clinic. But what if you had the BMI right before your eyes. Today, BMI calculators are easily available, with the most important and convenient source being the internet, off course. BMI calculators are just a few clicks away, often offering you a range of other details and guidelines to correctly interpret this index or measure.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated by using the measures of weight and height of a person. As a tool of measurement, it is a cheap, easy and simple alternative to the direct measurement tools available today. Some of the other ways of measuring body fat may be underwater weighing, computerized tomography, bioelectrical impedance, measurement of the skin fold thickness and the use of the DXA tool. All these methods are more appropriate measuring standards, but each requires specialized skills, training and equipments. The Body Mass Index (BMI) on the other hand is a simple enough calculation that requires the measurements of weight and height, either in terms of kilograms and meters, or in the units of pound and inches. Thus, the two formulas for measuring the BMI are as follows.

BMI = weight (kg) / [height (m)]2
OR
BMI = weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703

This BMI is then to be correlated with the BMI chart. Thus, a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, a range of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a normal range. While 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight, a person with a BMI falling in the range of 30.0 and above will be considered obese. There are different Body Mass Index (BMI) for adults and for children and kids. The latter would also need details of age and gender for a correct interpretation of BMI. This is because the BMI changes with respect to these factors, besides weight and height. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good index to measure the body fat, but there are several other considerations that need to be taken into account. Some of these include the physical conditions, age, sex, race and physical activity of a person. At the same time, a person with a high BMI need not always be overweight. This is because the BMI takes into account both the fat and the muscles of the body. People who are into athletics often have a high BMI but are hardly overweight. Nevertheless, it is an easy alternative to finding the health status of an individual, where the weight is considered.

Know more about other dimensions of fitness at Exercise and Fitness.