what is bmi and how is it calculated?

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measure used to assess whether a person is within an appropriate range for their height and weight, and thus in generally accepted health. BMI measurements are used to help determine how much, if any, extra weight a person may need to lose in order to improve their overall health.

BMI is calculated by taking your body weight (in kilograms) and dividing it by the square of your height (in meters). To achieve the most accurate result for BMI, height and weight should be measured with standard sets of equipment such as scales and stadiometers. Generally speaking though lets talk about calculating BMI with imperial measurements: weight in pounds and height in inches . The formula for calculating BMI involves performing the following calculation: divide your current weight (in pounds) by your height (in inches) squared, then multiply this number by 703. Consumers can also calculate their BMI using interactive calculators found on many medical websites or health-related websites.

For most people this equation should yield a measure between 18.5 to 24.9 which generally reinforces medical advice that suggests that people between those numbers tend to be healthier than those outside this range. For example, below 18.5 might suggest that someone is underweight while above 24.9 might suggest that a person is overweight or obese. When there are other ways better ways than BMI of assessing body composition such as body composition analysis , often these tests will give more information than just Body Mass Index . An advantage with BMI is that you may already know both factors for calculating it - namely your weight and height - so all you need then do is plug them into an online calculator and out comes an answer!

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