This article is reviewed by DR. Deepa Kadam
Calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms (or pounds) by the square of their height in metres (or feet), BMI (body mass index) is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to calculate body weight (1).
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Maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) is crucial for your overall health. It can help prevent and control numerous diseases and conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart problems, etc. (1).Let’s learn in this article how you can maintain a healthy body mass index or BMI with easy lifestyle changes.
Why Is Maintaining a Healthy BMI Important? (2)
Maintaining an ideal weight is crucial for your well-being as it helps in preventing and managing various illnesses and conditions.
If you are overweight or obese, your chances of suffering from severe health issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, gallstones, and certain cancers increase.
Therefore, it is essential to maintain a healthy weight to decrease the possibility of developing such health concerns, enhance your self-esteem, and increase your vitality for a more fulfilling life.
What Are the Factors That Contribute To Body Weight? (2)
Certain factors like genetics, environment, metabolism, and behavior or habits play an important role in maintaining a healthy body weight.
Maintaining energy balance is also essential for a healthy BMI. Energy balance is achieved when the energy or calories consumed from food and drinks (energy IN) is balanced with the energy the body uses for tasks like breathing, digesting, and physical activity (energy OUT).
A balance between energy IN and energy OUT over time results in maintaining the same weight, while more energy IN than OUT over time leads to weight gain, and more energy OUT than IN over time results in weight loss.
How To Maintain a Healthy BMI? (3)
The following tips can help you maintain a healthy energy balance, boost your metabolism and maintain a healthy BMI.
- Follow a realistic and healthy eating plan. Also, keep your eating patterns consistent and plan ahead for special occasions, weekends, and vacations.
- Engage in daily physical activity or exercise, with a goal of 60-90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity in a week. Brisk walking after taking meals is one of the best ways to maintain physical activity.
- Keep a food and physical activity journal to monitor progress and body mass index.
- Practise pranayama to reduce stress and BMI [4]
- Seek support from family, friends, and others to stay motivated. You should talk to a healthcare provider before making these lifestyle changes to avoid any health problems.
The Final Takeaway
Maintaining a healthy BMI is essential for preventing various diseases and conditions and boosting your overall health.
By following a realistic and healthy eating plan, engaging in daily physical activity, and seeking support from friends and family, you can maintain a healthy energy balance, boost your metabolism, and achieve a healthy BMI.
However, don’t forget to talk to a healthcare provider before making any lifestyle changes to ensure safety and effectiveness.
References
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/index.html
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/index.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/keepingitoff.html
- https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR_Vol.3_Issue.2_Feb2016/IJRR005.pdf’
Kindly note:
BMI is not an accurate measure when it comes to analysing body fat
- BMI measures overall health status in relation to height and weight. No mention of body fat percentage or muscle mass.
- It does not distinguish water weight, bone mass, etc.
- It is not specific to the sex of a person. For e.g.: the BMI of males and females is the same whereas the male has more muscle mass and the female has more fat mass which is not mentioned in the BMI chart
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