What Are the Best Ways to Improve BMI for Women?
Keeping our weight under control and staying in shape does not only affect the way we look. It plays a much more important role in terms of helping us maintain our Body Mass Index (BMI) within a normal range, that way ensuring we stay protected from various medical problems, including issues regarding women’s reproductive health.
But what does this index exactly represent, and how does one calculate what a normal BMI for women is? Keep on reading to get the answers to these and other questions and learn how you can bring your BMI values down to a healthy level.
What Is BMI?
Body Mass Index is a measurement representing total body fat in humans. You can get your BMI score by dividing your weight in pounds (or kilograms) by your height in feet (or meters) squared. If you don’t feel like doing the math on your own, there are many online calculators that can provide the result in seconds. Once you get the BMI score, check under which category it falls in the BMI chart:
- BMI below 18.5 — Underweight
- BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 — Normal
- BMI between 25 and 29.9 — Overweight
- BMI of 30 or over — Obese
The categorization of your BMI score can serve as a health risk indicator, as any result that’s not considered normal can be connected with particular diseases. While it doesn’t mean that someone with an irregular score will necessarily develop any health problems, having an average BMI for women will certainly add to their overall well-being and most likely prevent any health-related issues.
Why Is BMI Important for Women?
Medical professionals link staying within the bounds of normal BMI for women with minimizing the chances of developing illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, insulin resistance, stroke, heart disease, and even cancer.
On top of that, irregular BMI can affect the reproductive cycle, cause hormonal disbalance and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), lead to scarce ovulation or a complete lack of it, and result in fertility issues. Furthermore, all the ovarian and menstrual disorders caused by obesity make the body more prone to developing breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer.
Tips for Improving BMI for Women
If your BMI is 25 or over, you should implement certain changes and try to get it back to normal. Luckily, there are research-backed tips to help you reach and maintain a healthy BMI range for women.
Set Realistic Weight Goals
Before you start working on your weight loss, set goals you can actually achieve and won’t abandon after a few days. Instead of starving yourself and exercising for hours on end in order to lose weight fast, try to focus on losing a few pounds first. This will give your body time to adjust its current way of functioning and adopt a healthier lifestyle more easily.
Engage in Regular Physical Activity
There’s no way around physical activity if you want to lose weight. Go for a walk or a run, sign up at the gym, play sports, or choose any other activity that’ll keep you moving. If none of the classic options from the list seems to be your cup of tea, try yoga, dancing, swimming, hiking, or anything done in a group or in pairs.
The main point of exercising is to stop spending too much of your time sitting, especially if your work requires you to do so. Move around as much as you can every day, even if the movement includes cleaning the house or working in the garden.
Stick to a Nutritious and Balanced Diet
Though it is hard to stick to the recommendations put forward by nutritionists, eating a balanced and nutritious diet is essential for a good BMI for women. To get started, you should decrease your portion size and properly choose the foods and drinks you consume.
Sugar, fast food, refined carbs, and products high in fat are a big no if you want to fight obesity. You should replace them with fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and protein-rich foods like fish, meat, dairy products, and eggs. These products will keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep you full longer.
Seek Professional Support
In case you notice you can’t shed those pounds on your own, turn to professionals for help. Talk to a nutritionist and get a custom diet plan, hire a personal trainer, or contact a healthcare practitioner for advice. You can also find many support groups where members help each other in the process of losing weight. Joining such a community and finding an accountability partner will create a feeling of obligation to keep going even when the going gets tough.
Conclusion
Although a high BMI isn’t always a sign of an illness, many doctors often associate it with serious medical conditions. Women, in particular, should try to keep their BMI score within a healthy range to prevent the likes of diabetes, insulin resistance, heart conditions, hormonal disbalance, gynecological illnesses, and cancer.
We’ve shared a few tips for keeping your body healthy and your BMI score normal, so make sure to implement them in your lifestyle as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to track your BMI throughout the weight loss journey. To witness the daily improvements, get a product that measures your weight and BMI, such as the EROS smart scale.
This unique scale won’t take up too much space in your home, but it’ll always be there to show you progress to a healthier version of yourself.
READ NEXT: HOW TO SET REALISTIC WEIGHT LOSS GOALS AND TRACK PROGRESS?
