Math homework

As you know I try to focus our 8 week competitions on building healthy habits. Yes we weigh and measure ourselves and of course we hope for results there, but we focus mostly on building healthy habits hoping they will lead to a healthier life. However I do believe that among our healthy habits we should occasionally take a serious stock of where we are with our body weight. 

The average American women weighs an average of 170.6 pounds (lbs), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Height-wise, the average adult female is 5 feet 3.7 inches, and her waist measures 38.2 inches. So according to the BMI Calculator the  average American woman is overweight and on the edge of obesity. And according to the ideal body weight charts she should weigh about 120 pounds so she is about 50 pounds or 40% over weight. 

Oh how I wish I could push a button and all of us would be at, and stay at our ideal body weight. Ideal body weight is the optimal weight associated with maximum life expectancy for a given height. 

Along with how long we live we are concerned for how healthy our life is. Body weight has a huge affect on our health and susceptibility to disease. Being over your ideal body weight increases the chance you will suffer:

• Diabetes (Type 2)

• High blood pressure

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Certain cancers

• Gallbladder disease

• Reproductive problems

• Gout

Besides the threat of disease, extra weight can also cause musculoskeletal issues including joint, back, knee pain and plantar fasciitis. 

I want you to think of the weight you most usually weigh. Not what you weigh at your heaviest or after a solid 8 week challenge but the weight you have spent most of your days and months weighing. Now let's check how close it is to your IDEAL BODY WEIGHT. 

There are many formulas used to calculate ideal body weight.  One of the simplest is the HAMWI formula, which is used for adults over 5 feet tall. For women, it's 100 + 5 lbs for every inch over 5 feet. Add 10% if person has large frame, subtract 10% if person has small frame. 

You can calculate your frame size by wrapping your fingers around your wrist. If your thumb and index finger overlap, you likely have a small frame. If the two meet, your frame size is probably medium and you are large boned if they do not meet.

There are a lot of other sources to help find your ideal body weight including the site
https://www.inchcalculator.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator/  

 
Another way to determine a healthy weight for yourself is to see how you are on the BMI Chart https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

So this week's weekly challenge is a math problem. I would like you to:
1. Determine your frame size
2. Use the site in blue above to pull up the ideal body weight charts 
3. Use the link in red to calculate your healthy BMI
4. Determine what weight puts you at least in the middle on both charts 
5. Determine how much extra weight you have been carrying around for most of your life and how much too much you are carrying around right now. Subtract your ideal body weight to determine how much extra weight you are now or most usually carry around. 
6. Find something that weighs about how much extra weight you have been carrying around and heft it. 

Yes health is more than what your scale says. Sure there are some heavy people healthier than some lighter people. But will your health most probably be blessed as you journey toward your ideal body weight AND STAY THERE? Yes. 

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