With spring and summer only a few months away, it’s about that time where everyone starts to panic about their “winter body.”
When it comes to going to the gym, eating right, and reaching that goal weight, the ultimate goal should always to be in good health.
Everyone wants to get in shape and rock a hot summer body, but we must remember everyone has their own healthy weight.
It’s important to realize your standards might not be the same as your friends. Here’s how you can find out what weight is healthy for you and how you can maintain it!
Finding Your Healthy Weight
When most people track their weight, they typically step on a scale and pray for the best.
However, scales can be tricky. If you aren’t sure how to interpret which weight is healthy for you, there are a few ways to find it!
1. Body Mass Index
When finding out our prefect weight, there are a lot of things we need to consider such as height, body shape, etc.
Body mass index (BMI) is a method that takes these factors into consideration.
As a measurement of body fat, BMI can tell you how your physical composition compares to that of the general population.
While this may not always be the best chart to rely on, doctors typically use it and you can easily find it online!
2. The National Institutes of Health calculation
Since BMI isn’t always the best way to find your weight, the National Institutes of Health suggests that women can find a healthy body weight for their height using a formula.
They say, five feet in height corresponds to a healthy body weight of 100 pounds. Each inch beyond those first five feet corresponds to a weight increase of five pounds.
So, a woman who is 5’5’’ would have a healthy body weight of 125 pounds. Your weight doesn’t have to fall right on that five-pound mark.
But you can use this as a general range for where you should be according to your height.
3. Non-numerical indicators
One last tip is to go by non-numerical indicators. The techniques above can help you with that but something to acknowledge is that weight is not the only indicator of physical health.
Being at a healthy weight essentially means having a good blood pressure, normal cholesterol, and normal blood sugar.
Getting to Your Healthy Weight
If you are not at a healthy weight, don’t freak out. There are so many things you can do to get there!
First, I highly suggest talking with your doctor because he or she can give you the best advice based on your current health and situation.
Second, in order to get a healthy weight, two of the most important things are diet and exercise!
I know this can be dreadful but trying new classes, working out with friends, or simply increasing the amount you walk every day can make a huge difference!
In terms of diet, tracking calories and eating a wide variety of foods will definitely help. Try cutting out unnecessary snacks and sugar and I promise it will go a long way!
Maintaining Your Healthy Weight
Yay! You’ve finally reached a healthy weight but now what? In order to maintain that weight, it’s actually pretty simple.
You basically need to keep doing what you’ve been doing. This means you should be working out daily and making sure you’re making healthy choices when it comes to food.
Don’t forget that you should still treat yourself every once in a while and you should absolutely give yourself a pat on the back for reaching your goals.
Image: iStock
Reflect & Refresh 