Normal Height to Weight Ratio
An individual's height-to-weight ratio is an important indicator to overall health and physical fitness. Calculating your body mass index estimates the total body fat content and determines whether you might be overweight or underweight. Maintaining a healthy weight within your height's range is extremely important when it comes to safeguarding against obesity-related health risks.
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BMI
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Calculating your normal range of height-to-weight ratio is simple. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers a free BMI (body mass index) calculator (see Resources). The BMI is a number that states your percentage of total body fat. For your height-to-weight ratio to be considered normal, your BMI should fall anywhere from 18.5 to 24.9. Less than 18.5 is considered underweight, and more is considered obese.
Benefits
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By keeping a normal height-to-weight ratio,you diminish your chances of serious disease. A healthy BMI indicates that you are consuming the right nutritional elements and you are in optimal physical shape for your best bodily performance. People who keep their height-to-weight ratio in a normal range get sick less often than those over or under due to a significantly stronger immune system.
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Frame Size
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Depending on the size of your frame, the normal height-to-weight ratio can vary. Some individuals tend to have lighter or denser bone structure, and this is taken into consideration when applying the BMI formula to determine whether your weight is optimal for your height. For example, a 5-foot 5-inch woman with a small frame would be considered to be within her healthy weight spectrum at 117 to 130 lb., while a woman the same height but with a heavy frame would be at her healthy weight anywhere from 137 to 155 lb.
Setting Goals
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Finding out your normal height-to-weight ratio can be a great motivator to set goals for weight loss or gain. By knowing your target, you have a better understanding of the importance of the new diet. Also, knowing where on the healthy weight scale you want to fall is helpful in deciding exactly how much weight needs to come off or on.
Exceptions
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BMI calculations are not accurate for everyone. For example, if you are very muscular with a low percentage of body fat (like most athletes), it is highly probable the BMI calculations might not hold true and might categorize your weight under "obese," when in fact you might be in better shape than most people. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat!
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