BMI & BMR

I thought I'd make the first informative post on this Blog about something that everyone can use as part of your programme. Now, everyone knows BMI (Body Mass Index), which compares a person's height and weight. This method is not that accurate but it can give a good indication of a healthy body. It does not measure body fat and in that respect, it is not a good indicator for a person that has a large muscle mass. Its very easy to work out your BMI ...

BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (meters squared)

E.G. someone that is 5 feet 9 and weighs 13 stone. 13 stone is 82.7 kg. 5 foot 9 is 175 cm, 1.75 meters.

1.75 squared = 3.06

82.7 divided by 3.06

This person has a BMI of 27

This would be considered to be overweight, however this person could quite conceivably be very healthy and muscular. As a guide, your BMI should be between 20-25.

BMR is another matter. It stands for Basel Metabolic Rate, meaning the rate at which your body will burn calories if you lived your day in a completely sedentary way. There are sums for this, both different from Men to Women. The easiest way to work it out is to go here ...

There are 14 pounds in 1 stone and 12 inches in 1 foot. The number displayed is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Anyone that lives by the government guidlines of 2000 calories for women and 2500 for men, will probably be surprised. Those guidlines came out of a Government survey in 1986. In the last 23 years the average weight has significantly risen, whereas the amount of physical activity has fallen.

If you defecit that number by around 500 calories per day, you will see a significant weight loss over the course of a couple of weeks. You can defecit by either diet or exercise, of course doing both is always best.

If you do follow this programme, be sure to get enough nutrients in your diet and vary what you eat. Don't completely cut out one food group - even fat is needed in small doses. Our test subject (above) would have a BMR of 1898 for a man or 1642 for a woman based on them being 28. Just imagine only eating 1398 calories per day for a man or 1142 for a woman. It wouldn't take long to fill your daily quota, which is why it's always best to exercise to hit your daily defecit limit.

Give it a go and let us know how you get on. e-mail adam@vivoactive.co.uk to have your story published.