3 reasons Why BMI is Bogus!

Hands up if you’ve ever been personally victimized by BMI? ✋

This one is for all the people out there who have been called or thought of as unhealthy based on BMI. If you’re not a white dude, it just won’t work for you. Yet it’s still used as a health barometer for EVERYONE...go figure.

Here are the facts on why BMI is bogus.

It is outdated.

The formula was introduced 200 years ago based off white men in the 1800s. It was designed to analyze populations as a whole and explicitly said not to be a good measure for individuals. This means that it cannot be used as an accurate assessment for anyone outside of white men with low muscle mass and average height (for the 1800s).

It is incomplete.

Honestly, the calculation makes no mathematical sense. It’s a 2D equation that essentially only accounts for height and width - not depth. In case you (or your doctor, gym, school, health insurance company etc) need a reminder, you are a 3D human being. You have bones, muscles, and individual needs, which the BMI calculation does not account for. Also, women need more fat on their bodies than men in order to support fertility, hormone balance, and healthy metabolism.

It is arbitrary.

The categories for low, normal, and obese were arbitrarily reset in 1998. After the fact, it was found that, Xaiver P. Sunyer, the person in charge of making the decision to reset these categories, consulted for several diet drug manufacturers and Weight Watchers International. Follow the money.

A Better Way to Assess Health

You simply cannot assess the health of an individual based on BMI or fat percentage alone. A better way to assess health is to look at health promoting habits and practices that reduce inflammatory responses in the body.

• How do you manage stress?

• How do you add nutrition?

• How do you move your body?

• How is your sleep hygiene?

Instead of using BMI as a health determinant, we need to investigate the behaviors, practices, and parameters that are actually known to improve health outcomes for INDIVIDUALS.

Stop letting “the man” control your relationship to your body. Instead, focus on changing your mindset around food and fitness to one that WORKS WITH YOUR BODY to feel energized, confident in your skin and empowered AF.

Start by letting me know in the comments which health promoting habit or practice are you going to focus on this week!