What Is A Healthy Weight

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.