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If you’re in the mood to pull out your calculator, you can determine your BMI
by following these steps:

1. Multiply your height in inches times your height in inches.


2. Divide your weight by the number you arrived at in Step 1.


3. Multiply the number you came up with in Step 2 by 705.
   The result is your BMI.

So what does your BMI mean? The National Institutes of Health has issued
the BMI guidelines shown in Table 2-2.

Table 2-2 Understanding Your Body Mass Index

BMI Weight Status

Less than 19 Underweight

19 to 24.9 Healthy

25 to 29.9 Overweight

30 or greater Obese

People with a BMI of 25 or above are considered at higher risk for heart dis-
ease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, gallbladder disease, cancer, and death.
But these guidelines are controversial. Even members of the government
panel that issued the guidelines believe that setting the low point for over-
weight at a BMI of 25 is somewhat arbitrary. Keep in mind that BMI, like body-
fat percentage, is only one factor in assessing your health. Also know that
BMI measurements for extremely muscular athletes and pregnant women are
not very accurate.

You may wonder: If BMI has so many limitations, why are we including it in
this book? Because it’s the simplest way — no fees, no equipment, and no
schlepping to the health club — of estimating whether you may be in the
overweight ballpark.

Getting zapped (also body-fat scales and handheld testers) ........

Another common method of body fat testing is called bioelectrical impedance
analysis(BIA). You lie on your back while a signal travels from an electrode
on your foot to an electrode on your hand. The slower the signal, the more

Chapter 2: Testing Your Fitness 23