Different Measurements Of Body Size

Weight and body fat can be measured in numerous ways, from scales to skin-fold tests. It’s important to remember that people come in all different shapes and sizes and there is no ‘ideal’ body shape. The main thing is to ensure your height and weight are in proportion, and that you’re not carrying too much fat around your waist.

Health professionals currently use Body Mass Index (BMI) to calculate healthy weight ranges. The healthy BMI range for a European is between 18.5 - 25. For someone of Asian descent the healthy weight is 18.5 - 22.9 and Polynesian descent has a maximum healthy weight range of 26.

These variations are due to the differences in bone mass that are evident in individuals of different ethnicities. If for your ethnicity you are above or below these ranges your risk of developing health problems is increased. Your BMI can be calculated using the following equation.

Age can be a factor that can affect an accurate BMI. Children and teenagers are still growing thus bone mass and height are not established and the elderly may find their muscle mass has declined along with their height. Athletes and individuals with a large muscle mass are another group that may find BMI not suitable as the muscle weighs more than fat tissue and hence produces a higher BMI than would be expected. For anyone who fits into the above categories or who simply would like another method of monitoring their progress a waist/hip ratio may be a better measure.

The waist/hip ratio takes into account where the body fat is distributed – centrally around the heart, liver and kidneys or peripherally around the body. More centrally focused can lead to greater risk of cardiovascular disease or fatty liver. The ratio is calculated by dividing waist/hip and it is recommended you have levels of:

< 0.85 for females
<1.0 for males

Alternatively you can measure only the waist, with recommended levels as shown below:

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