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What Is BMI? | Ask The Fitness Nerd

What is BMI and is it an Accurate Measure of Weight and Health?

Dear Fitness Nerd,

Can you explain exactly what BMI is? I recently bought a Wii Fit and according to the BMI calculation I’m fat! I checked some other BMI calculators online and am getting similar results. But I’ve never really considered myself overweight. I exercise daily and think I look pretty toned, but according to the BMI charts I’m overweight! Should I be worried? — Erika (Atlanta, GA)

Ericka, the Body Mass Index, or BMI is one of those things that I wish would just go away, since it causes all kinds of anxiety for people who may actually be in very good shape. It also makes people who may actually have high body fat levels focus on the wrong thing: losing scale weight, when they should be focusing on reducing body fat and encouraging muscle building.

While BMI can be a tool for gauging a person’s body composition in relation to height and weight, it tells you nothing about a person’s percentage of body fat. So for people who have low body fat levels with substantial amounts of lean tissue (muscle), it can be very misleading. 

But before we get into this in greater detail, let’s take a look at what BMI is.

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5 Components of Physical Fitness | Fitness Tips & Guides

What Is Physical Fitness? Understanding the Five Basic Components of Physical Fitness Can Be The Difference Between Fitness Success & Failure.

What does it mean to be “physically fit?”

Ask a dozen people to describe to you a person who typifies the concept of “physical fitness” and you will likely get 12 different answers.

Many people will probably mention Olympic athletes as paragons of physical fitness — people like swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps or U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson. Others might point to professional athletes like NBA forward LeBron James or legendary NFL running back Herschel Walker. Other people might say that fashion models, certain actresses or actors, bodybuilders or even professional wrestlers represent “physical fitness.”

So clearly, physical fitness is in the eye of the beholder.

Or is it?

Can You Look “In-Shape” But Not Be Physically Fit?

While excelling at some type of athletic activity — whether you are a professional or amateur — requires a certain level of physical fitness, it doesn’t guarantee that they are physically fit. 

Continue reading 5 Components of Physical Fitness | Fitness Tips & Guides…

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