Advertisement

Why BMI Is not a complete indicator of health

It can be very difficult to assess the health of a population. It might be impossible or excessively time consuming to get all the right data all the time.

One such case is when studying obesity and health related issues. The standard measurement is "Body Mass Index". It's an ancient formula from the 1800s, and it is mass in kilos, divided by height in meters squared. So if you were 80kg and 170cm it would be 80/(1.7*1.7) = 27.68

This can be done by anybody with a primary school maths education and because of its simplicity is often used in population studies of health.

But is it the best for you?

I would say, probably not!

Here are three reasons why you should consider using body-fat percentage as a better gauge of health (assuming you got to a healthy percentage by a healthy lifestyle, not liposuction or anabolic steroids).

  1. You can have a "healthy" BMI while still being fat. I call this "skinny-fat" and it is a problem for many Singapore men and women.

  2. It leads to an obsession with weight, rather than health, especially among ladies

  3. It leads to men being considered "overweight" even if they are actually lean, strong, fit and muscular.

Here just one of many examples of how BMI may not lead to accurate conclusions.

Both these clients of mine were measured at 78kg and about 178cm height. They have exactly the same BMI but one is at 22 per cent fat and one is at 8 per cent.

Which physique is healthier? The answer is quite obvious.

The second picture is the typical "skinny-fat" look. While the first picture is extremely lean and muscular, yet natural. A look that most people (male and female) would prefer.

Body with 8 per cent fat. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
Body with 8 per cent fat. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
Body with 22 per cent fat. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
Body with 22 per cent fat. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)

So what is a healthy body fat percentage? I would like to aim for 10-12 per cent for men, and 17-19 per cent for ladies.

Here is approximately what 12 per cent looks like on a guy, and what 17 per cent looks like on a lady. A healthy lifestyle can get you there.

A guy's body with ideal fat percentage. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
A guy's body with ideal fat percentage. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
A lady's body with the ideal fat percentage. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)
A lady's body with the ideal fat percentage. (Photo courtesy of Coach Jon)

Assuming you are not a naturally skinny person (most of us are not!) then these numbers will take some dedication to reach through healthy means. But once you do, you are very likely to have extremely good health and a great looking physique to match.

So add in tracking of body fat in addition to BMI for a better measure of how your fitness program is going.

For the best fitness boot camp program, ExpressFIT program in the CBD, and personal training in Singapore visit www.genesisgym.com.sg or the Genesis Gym facebook page. Or visit Coach Jonathan's homepage and blog at www.coachjon.com