Is it possible to know what a healthy weight truly is? It's impossible to come up with some arbitrary number because all people are different and everyone is going to have different factors that will cause their ideal weight to be different from someone else who is their same age, sex and even height. When trying to determine what an ideal weight is for someone, it is important to consider several things. It's also important to know why some height and weight charts can be misleading.

Do Height and Weight Charts Lie?

They don't lie, but they don't tell the whole truth either. When considering someone's height and their weight, most of the charts found aren't going to account for the actual physical condition of the person. A man who is 5'8" and works out consistently to pack on some extra muscle may be heavier than someone how is 6' tall and out of shape. Even though the shorter man may be heavier, he is healthier and closer to the ideal weight for his physical conditioning and body type.

Things to Consider in Finding a Healthy Weight

The size of the waist is going to be very important in determining whether someone is at a healthy weight or not. In general, the waist size, measured with a soft tape measure, should be half a person's height in inches. In the aforementioned example, someone who is 5'8" is 68" tall. Their waist should be 34" or smaller. If it is larger than that, you are likely to heavy for your height. Belly fat can be dangerous as it has links to a number of diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

The Body Mass Index

Your Body Mass Index or BMI is a measurement of your body fat based on your height and weight. You can find quite a few BMI calculators online that will tell you whether you are overweight or underweight for your height. Again, you have to consider the amount that you work out and whether that weight is muscle or fat. It's a good gauge for those who aren't working out regularly and want to see how far they are off the mark.

Change Your Lifestyle Now

Even if you are overweight or obese now, you don't have to stay that way. With some simple changes to lifestyle, it's possible to start losing weight. The sooner you start the better you will feel.

You can find a number of great diet programs online that will be able to help you count your calories and find healthier food options. Of course eating right is only part of your battle though. Everyone who is trying to lose some weight and get healthy needs to incorporate exercise. It's possible to start slowly with some walks and move on to strenuous exercises later. Get the blood flowing, get moving and start eating better. If someone really wants to lose weight and live a better life, it is possible. As long as you supply the will, you will find plenty of ways to get there.

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It is hard to quit smoking. Many people try and then fail, and others do not even bother until it is too late. Aside from the horrors of cancer, heart disease and other afflictions that the habit can cause, smoking is going to inhibit your ability to reach your fitness goals.

When you smoke, you are taking in particulates into your lungs, and this causes you lungs to have more difficulty bringing oxygen into your body. You will find that when you exercise, you are more winded than others who seem to be in the same general health. You will not be able to run as far or as fast either. This is going to put a damper on your weight loss goals. You need to quit smoking as soon as possible. With all of the health risks involved, your life depends on it.

Drinking

When you drink alcohol, you are bringing useless calories into your body. Even if you eat healthy food most of the time, the calories that you take in when you drink aren't doing much. Those who drink excessively will likely find that they have diminished energy levels. They will not want to get out and exercise and that means that those extra calories are going to become fat.

Bad Food

Another habit that you have to wipe out if you are going to get healthy is bad food. Unhealthy fast food and junk food is going to keep you from reaching any of your goals when it comes to fitness.

Replace with Good Habits

You can replace the bad habits with ones that are healthy. Instead of smoking, drinking and eating junk food, you can start to get more exercise. You can replace the food that you have in your refrigerator now with some healthy alternatives. When you feel like you want to smoke, go outside and go for a jog to see how good your lungs feel without the smoke in them. When friends or family are at a bar or a club, offer to be the designated driver so you do not have to feel as though you need to drink to fit in with the revelers.

Once you start removing those bad habits one at a time, you will see that it is possible to overcome them. You can get healthy and achieve your fitness goals. Just make sure you lose the nasty habits first!

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