I don’t know my BMI, OH MY!

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height. BMIs are good indicators of healthy or unhealthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size.

In the BetterU program this week I learned that it is important to know your BMI number because carrying too much weight is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. BMI values less than 18.5 are considered underweight. BMI values from 18.5 to 24.9 are healthy. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight and a BMI above 30 is considered obese. To find out your BMI, click here.

Finding out your BMI is painless. There are no needles, no dunking booths, or pinch tests. All you need to know is your height, your weight, and your activity level. I know two of the three. Of course I know how tall I am, or should I say how short I am. I also know that I fall in the “active” category. What I don’t know is my weight. I haven’t weighed myself in…um…quite awhile.

I have a love/hate relationship with the scale. So we broke up. It’s a long story. In summary, I used to let the scale control my mood…if it was down, I was up! If it was up, I was down.

So, lately I’ve been tracking my progress by…

• Using a tape measure
• Seeing how well my clothes fit
• My energy level
• How I look in the mirror

These methods work great, but I think it’s time to dial it back in so I make sure I’m at a heart-heathly weight. So, I’m going back to weighing in about once a week. But first, I think I’ll go buy my scale some flowers to make sure we get back together on a good number note.

Now I really must go calculate my BMI, if I’m in a great mood on Monday, you’ll know why!