Thursday, February 13, 2014

Better Than BMI

By Rey Vetangelo


While many people may equate their health with the number they see when they step on a scale, your Body Mass Index (BMI) is generally accepted to give a more accurate indication of your health than your weight alone. BMI is more accurate in this regard because instead of merely weighing the body, it also takes height into consideration.

For instance, if you are 6 feet tall, your healthy weight range is higher than that of someone who is 5 feet 5 inches tall. Since BMI is more precise, yet still easy to calculate (there are currently dozens of free BMI calculators available online), it has been used in some form for the last 200 years. However, lately there has been some speculation about new measurements of physical health that might be even more accurate than BMI.

So then, what can us, as parents do to recognize unhealthy patterns and give our children the opportunity to develop the habits that lead to them growing into healthy, active adults? To begin with, the changes must start with us. Then we must give our kids the opportunity to make healthy choices on their own, teaching them the patterns they need to know to continue making those decisions for a lifetime.

If you are worried about your child's weight do not immediately set them up on a strict diet. For starters, that is incredibly unhealthy for children, and you may be doing more harm because your child may not actually be overweight. Take some time to learn about what the general health guidelines are for children. Give them appropriate serving sizes and feed them healthy, nutritious food, but don't restrict what they can eat.

Have a conversation with your child's doctor if you are very concerned. Remember that many children carry their baby weight well into their older childhood years, and some children put on weight right before a growth spurt. While an adult may be able to do a fad diet or get weight loss surgery in Mexico, a child's body is growing and changing, so making drastic changes can be incredibly harmful to their ability to grow.

As you work to understand what 'healthy' is for your child, begin to introduce them to activities that get them up and moving. Pay attention to which ones they enjoy and encourage them in those pursuits. If needed, put a limit on the amount of sentient entertainment they pursue. Get them out in the sun and participating in sports, or games, or just the simple pleasures of biking or swimming.

Another promising measuring technique on the medical horizon is even simpler to obtain than the BMI; the waist-to-height ratio. The waist-to-height ratio is determined by measuring exactly what you'd guess from its name: the waist and the height. After the measurements are taken, they are compared to see how close the circumference of your waist is to your height.

People whose waist measurements are less than half of their height measurements have been proven to be healthier, with fewer instances of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. The great thing about this technique is that it can accurately measure children and help predict their risk of obesity, since both their waist size and their height will increase as they grow.

As you work with your child to help them develop healthier habits, you will find that your health and fitness level will be improving right along with your child. Soon, your entire family will be able to enjoy being active together, and you will be more inclined to go on a bike ride than sit and watch a movie.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment