The increasing whim among women all over the world toward personal health and fitness does not seem asynchronous with the urgency of the hour. The battery of health and fitness tools, BMI, body fat%, BMR, WTH (Waist-to-Hip) ratio, have a new member added to the list, BAI (Body Adiposity Index).
Whichever tool you decide upon one thing that will not change is, you health status until you make a committed effort.
BMI
The calculation of BMI is defined as an individuals body weight divided by the square of their height and is widely used to generally categorised people as underweight, overweight or obese.
The Body mass index does however have limitations as it does not account for the difference between body fat percentage and lean muscle mass. For those who engage in intense activity and use sports supplements such as whey protein or weight gainers, the BMI may indicate that they may be overweight or unhealthy.
Body Mass Index is a tool to measure an average ideal weight for any given height. Alternative methods to provide more accurate means of indicating obesity have been developed such as the body volume index.
The new obesity scale is offered due to the flaws of the BMI. For example, BMI calculation cannot be generalized across men and women, athletes and different ethnic groups.
BAI
BAI (Body Adiposity Index) focuses on height and hip measurements and calculates the ratio of hip circumference (standing with feet together and placing the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips) to height.
The results fall under the same measurements as BMI – Over 40 is considered morbidly obese, 30+ is considered obese, between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy and under 18.5 is consider underweight.
BMI Vs. BAI
One thing that cannot be ignored is the fact, that being overweight is in no way healthy and needs to be honestly pursued. Instead of relying too much on the tools, if you follow a healthy lifestyle, inch by inch you can, cinch your health and fitness goals.
To learn more about mathematical comparison of BMI & BAI, click here.