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What Is Body Mass Index (BMI)
If you don't already know what your BMI is, it's time you find out. Once you know this number, our personal trainers will be able to work with you to improve your level of health. This is a great benchmark tool that will help you to track your progress from month to month.
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Click to try our BMI Calculator
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What is BMI? It is a number that is calculated to help personal trainers and doctors alike determine your level of health by seeing the amount of body fat that you have.
This is not a body fat percentage - instead it stands for body mass index. It's an easy to calculate method of understanding what weight category you are in.
The number is achieved by using height and weight. Generally speaking, this number will determine your weight status.
- Under 18.5 - Underweight
- 18.5 - 24.9 - Normal
- 25.0 - 29.9 - Overweight
- 30.0 + - Obese
Everyone should know what their Body Mass Index is in order to determine if they are at a healthy level or not. This can be calculated on a regular basis as you see your weight dropping so you can track your progress. You also don't have to try and reduce this number on your own - we have many great fitness programs that can help you to lower your weight and reduce your body fat to become a healthier individual. What a BMI Indicates
It will indicate the body weight in relation to a particular level of health. Due to muscle weighing more than fat, some athletes and physically fit people will have a BMI over 25, which would indicate that they are overweight, which in fact they are not.
When this is the case, often a body fat percentage is used as a better indicator, which can be calculated using a caliper pinch throughout various parts of the body.
Using a Personal Trainer to Improve
It's important to work with a personal trainer in order to improve your Body Mass Index for a number of reasons. In addition to a better-looking physique, you can eliminate a number of health risks by removing yourself from the overweight or obese category.
Some of the health risks that you can avoid include:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep apnea
- Gall bladder disease
- Certain cancers
Your personal trainer will be able to show you some of the many different exercises that can be used to lower your Body Mass Index.
- Cardio Training is one of the most popular forms of exercise. This will help you lose weight, which will in turn lower your number. When you work with a personal trainer, there are plenty of cardio exercises that you can do with or without a lot of gym equipment. If you don't have an elliptical or treadmill, jogging in the park, swimming, or riding a bicycle can work as well.
- Strength training is another great exercise. This includes using weights and resistance bands in order to strengthen your muscles and reduce your body fat. A personal trainer will be able to customize a plan specific to your needs and abilities.
- Pilates training can combine cardio and resistance, allowing you to move smoothly from one activity to the next in 1 minute to 2 minute increments, depending upon your level of fitness. A personal trainer will guide you through the different exercises in order to maximize the results.
It's all about customizing a plan. Once one of our personal trainers calculate your body mass number, they will be able to determine how much work you need. You may be in better or worse shape than someone else, which means you will have a fitness plan created based upon your own personal goals and abilities. |
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Healthy Shrimp and Plum Kebabs
by Chef Noche
 As summer is approaching, having a delicious, healthy and easy to prepare meal is very important. Particularly when you are being calorie conscious, this recipe is just what you need to break out on a sunny day and can help with your efforts of lowering your BMI. You can add as many additional vegetables to the kebabs as you want and even serve it over a bed of brown or wholegrain rice. Ingredients
- 3 T canola oil
- 2 T cilantro, chopped
- 1 t lime zest, grated
- 3 T lime juice
- ½ t salt
- 12 raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
- 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and quartered
- 2 plums, pitted, then sliced into sixths
Cooking Instructions
- Whisk first 5 ingredients into a bowl. Set aside 3 T of mixture for use as dressing. Then add last 3 ingredients to remaining marinade and mix to coat.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Create 4 kebabs, alternating ingredients. Use 4 10-inch skewers and then discard marinade that is remaining.
- Grill kebabs about 4 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are cooked through.
- Serve and drizzle the dressing that was set aside in step 1.
Nutritional Value
Per serving: - 194 calories
- 8 g fat
- 5 g carbohydrates
- 221 mg cholesterol
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