Health Sidebar II: BMI vs BFP

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I've been wanting to talk about this for a while but didn't have the time (or had too much time procrastinating...just being honest). I'm watching Dr. Oz right now and he gave this lady her BMI. He said it was "32," which is supposed to be high.

To tell you the truth, I was never a fan of BMI. However, before I go into my rant, let me explain what BMI is...(click on the Read More link at bottom for more)


BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is calculated by a person's weight and height. It does not measure body fat directly but it's good if you want an inexpensive way for you to get a good idea of your health.

Does that make sense to you?

OK, great. BMI is a cheap way to figure out your health (or not). But how does it help? Why would I want a number to figure out when I'm obese when I can just look in the mirror? Why would I want this number when I can just get my Body Fat Percentage (BFP). Basically, BMI is inaccurate. Just because a person has a high BMI doesn't mean that they're NOT healthy. If you calculate your BMI and it's on the high side, your doctor or health practitioner will have to take other tests to determine whether your high BMI is a cause for concern.

A great example of this is an athlete. They may have a high BMI but they may have that BMI because they have a lot of muscle (BMI takes into account muscle and fat...and does not separate the two). For more information on BMI, click here.

WHAT IS BODY FAT?

Before I answer this question specifically, it's first important for me to talk about weight. Your total weight consists of the ratio of muscle, fat, water, bone, blood (up to 7% of your total body weight is blood...check out this site for more details), and other minor factors. Technically speaking, this is called your Body Composition.

Body Fat Percentage is one of the most important factors in your weight. Too much fat (in ratio to muscle and water) can be very detrimental to your health...on so many levels (I'm sure we have all heard of the term 'obese' before...this comes from your body fat percentage).

Importantly, for women, body fat percentage is critical if you have fibroids or another reproductive issue because excess body fat creates excess estrogen.

The good news is that you no longer have to go through extraneous means to get your body fat percentage. Tanita is a company that makes great scales. They have affordable scales that can take your body fat percentage. For more information on this company, click here.

I'm going to leave it here...for now, of course. I'll talk more about body fat and how it relates to women in my next post. I think it's so important for men and women (obese, overweight, underweight, it doesn't matter) to know your body fat percentage. It will be key in helping you to gain, maintain, or lose weight in a healthy manner.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Welcome to Fight Dis-Ease!

Hello. Greetings. Hola! Hey Hey Hey!!

don't mind me...it's my first time on this site putting up this kind of blog

My name is Andrea but my cyber moniker is "SeeLaH'. I've posted blogs on myspace for a long time and I decided that it's high time I dedicate a blog to what I love to do....no, not fixing computers or sleeping...but I love to be healthy and share health with others. You know the saying "health is wealth"? Well there is nothing truer than that....especially in this day and age where Americans are ruled by TV, pills, and the ill effects of global warming.

On myspace, I have a couple of mantras at the end of my blogs. One of them is Stay Strong, Stay Healthy and Fight Dis-ease. I thought it was a fantastic mantra, especially since most people think of the physical when it comes to "dis-ease". We need to understand that "disease" and "dis-ease" are two totally different things. Dis-ease is encompassing - affecting not only your physical health, but also your mental and spiritual health. Deficiencies in one can lead to deficiencies in another and it's sad to see that people only notice the waning of their mental or spiritual health when their physical health is in decline or in a state of serious "dis-ease".

In these blogs, I hope to help people such as you (and myself as well...we are all works in progress) with all-around wellness. Fitness, Spirituality, Nutrition, and Current Events that relate to these things are going to be the main focus on this blog. If you can assist me by adding whatever you know or by asking any questions, I would truly appreciate it. Soon, I will also include information on the Master Cleanser and how to do it safely and effectively (as well as other sites that help you with this). But please don't think that the Master Cleanser is the only way to go in terms of weight loss and overall health - there are a myriad of ways for you to be healthy in all aspects...you just have to find your way. I hope my blog can help you to find that way.

So sit back and relax. Drink some nice tea while reading my blogs. Put your feet up and prepare to fight dis-ease!

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