Your Best Weight

Date: Weds, 16 Mar 2005

You may have heard recently that some pro athletes - both football and basketball players - are obese.  Well, maybe they are, maybe they aren’t.  It all depends on how one measures such things.

The people who say the athletes are obese base the charge on the players’ Body Mass Index.  Unfortunately, BMI is an inexact way to determine a person’s ideal weight because it doesn’t account for muscle mass.  Muscle mass is denser than fat so it weighs more.

Someone who works out often and hard will have a denser, heavier physique, and could end up being technically overweight judging only by BMI.

A more accurate way to determine your best weight is by using hip to waist ratio.

It’s easy to do.  Simply measure your waist at the belly button, and your hips at the buttoxx, then divide waist by hips.  You’ll want a number of .92 or lower.

This method is useful because fat at the midsection is dangerous.   Studies have shown that midsection fat can actually behave as an internal organ in that it produces harmful hormones.  So if you’ve ever suspected that your midsection was taking on a life of its own, you weren’t too far from the mark.

For those of you with a hip to waist ration of .93 or higher either get yourself down to my Kung Fu school for some sweaty fun, or try my Kung Fu Conditioning package at www.kungfufightingtips.com.

Take care,

Rob LaPointe