Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI is an indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

Medical research recommends a BMI between 20 and 25 for optimum health. The World Health Organisation classifies a BMI of 25 to 30 as overweight, and over 30 as obese.  See the below chart for more detailed results.

PLEASE NOTE
BMI is a rough guide only. It has limitations in that it cannot distinguish between weight associated with fat or muscle. In other words, it does not take into account body type so people with more muscle may be classified as overweight or obese when in fact they are not simply because muscle weighs more than fat. 

This below chart is also a rough guide to estimate the healthy weight range for your height, based on your BMI.  Suitable for both men and women, the light band shows where you should be sitting comfortably.

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) looks at the proportion of fat stored on your body around your waist and hip. It is a simple but useful measure of fat distribution.

Most people store their body fat in two distinct ways: around their middle (apple shape) and around their hips (pear shape).Having an apple shape (carrying extra weight around the stomach) is riskier for your health than having a pear shape (carrying extra weight around your hips or thighs). This is because body shape and health risk are linked. If you have more weight around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips.

Even so, overall obesity is still of greater risk than where fat is distributed or stored on your body. Other important measurements are Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Fat percentage.

Using a tape measure, first you measure yourself around the hips where they are at their widest, then measure yourself around the waist where it is at it's smallest. If you have an overly large tummy that hangs down, you must measure yourself around your belly where it is the biggest, instead of around the "waist" where you wear your pants. Some of you may have to lift up the belly in order to measure your hips.

After measuring yourself around the hips and the waist, or belly, divide your waist, or belly measurement by your hip measurement, or simply use the WHR Calculator below by inputting your measurements.

Ideally, men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95 or less and women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.8 or less. 

* Health Risk Based Solely on WHR Result.

This is a great calculator that works out how many calories you can burn for lots of different activites based on your weight and the time you spend on that activity.

Use to work out what you would have to do to burn off that chocolate treat or that extra slice of pizza and decide for yourself if it is worth it.  Remember it is all about taking back the control and knowing what you need to do.

Don't forget to Bookmark this page - just use the icon at the top so you can access easily when you need it.

Body fat is an excellent tool to really understand what is happening with your body and where you are at in terms of health and well-being.  This is because weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between weight that comes from body fat and weight that comes from lean body mass or muscle.  

Your weight can also be influenced by a number of other factors so does not always tell you the real story.  Often when people exercise, they add muscle to their body which is excellent for fat loss, health, energy and a whole host of other things but because muscle weighs more than fat, the scales either don't move or go up and the person gets upset because they think they are putting on weight or more to the point the think they not losing fat which is not the case.

Men only need to complete measurements 1 & 3
Women need to complete all measurements.

Measurement 1: Bodyweight.
Simply weigh yourself and enter your weight in kg's.  If in pounds, just divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kg's.

Measurement 2: Wrist Circumference
Using a tape measure, measure around your wrist at the widest point.

Measurement 3: Waist Circumference
Using a tape measure, measure around your waist where your belly button is. 

Measurement 4: Hip Circumference
Using a measuring tape, measure around the widest part of your hips.

Measurement 5: Forearm Circumference
Using a measuring tape, measure your forearm (between your wrist and elbow) at the widest point.

Once you have completed your required measurements, simply enter them into the calculator below.

The following chart is based on information from the American Council on Exercise.  It indicates what level of body fat is appropriate for you.