What Does My
Assessment Mean?
The
purpose of obtaining the anthropometrical measurements
is to determine one's risk for heart disease.
Some of these measurements help to
define normal weight versus overweight or obesity.
By completing the challenge we are hoping to achieve a
fitness goal as well as modify your risk for heart
disease.
Popular
culture and pop media have brought notoriety to body
mass index (BMI) measurements.
Medical definitions of obesity are also determined by
BMI. It represents a ratio of weight to height.
Simply said, BMI helps to determine for the number
of inches of height a person has is the current
weight too much, not enough, or just right. If
weight loss is one of your goals for the challenge,
consider your BMI with your current weight;
and what will it be when you reach your goal. We
all know we are not getting any younger. As we
progress through our life and hormonal stages, weight
loss may become more difficult. Trying to
weigh as much as you did when you graduated from high
school may be a goal, but losing 15 pounds could just
as easily put you in a "healthier" BMI
range.
Successful
Body
Challenge 2006
Chesapeake
Pediatrics
Chesapeake,
Virginia
As
more attention is placed on women's health and risks for heart disease, more attention is being
placed on the role of central obesity. Centrally
obese individuals tend to hold the majority of their
weight and more likely their body fat in their
abdomen. Research suggests that central obesity
is a risk factor for heart disease, insulin resistance,
diabetes, as well as high blood pressure. Measuring
the waist:hip
ratio can help define "central
obesity" in an individual and further help to
assess their risk for heart disease. Unlike the
BMI, standards for waist:hip ratios vary depending on
gender; with "risk" referring to health risk
for the diseases.
Percent
body fat is a tricky measurement.
Because the Creator chose us to bear children,
our bodies' essential level of fat is more than twice
that of a man. Having said that, there still is
a "healthy" range of body fat for men and
women. Your percent body fat defines how much of
your weight is fat. Knowing your body fat
percentage can also help you determine if your weight
loss goals are realistic. Weight loss doesn't
always mean fat loss. For example:
A
140 lbs woman of childbearing age
23%
body fat, wants to "lose 20 pounds"
