How to know whether you are Underweight or Overweight??

Improving body composition is essential to developing and maintaining optimal health. To measure body composition, Body Mass Index (BMI) has been regarded as a standard means of measurement. BMI is an attempt to quantify the amount of tissue mass (muscle, fat and bone) in an individual and as a result categorize that same person as either underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese in correlation with the attained value.

BMI is therefore most common and simplest way to determine if you are underweight or overweight, as it only make use of the individual's Weight and Height. BMI is defined as follows: ratio of body weight to height²

According to this  formulae,  it is believed that  a person  with a high weight  in relation to  height has a higher BMI and vice versa. Various studies support the fact that an increased BMI invariably means an increased risk of various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke etc.

After knowing the BMI, it is necessary to  know the Body Composition Status by comparing with a standard BMI classification . The following are the current BMI classification:

Like every other process, BMI has also got its limitations in the sense that it cannot be totally generalised. For Instance, muscle tissue is denser than fat which could cause an Athlete's weight to increase significantly and thereby increasing the BMI - which does not necessarily mean the athlete is overweight or obese.

Note, understanding BMI and how it relates to your health really goes a long way in helping you to understand your health status so as to maintain long term wellness.
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