Actually yes.
Although it's not important to know all the abbreviations, it's important to know what BMI and BMR mean, and what are your values. Let me explain why, and how to do the calculations:
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your basal metabolic rate is important when planning a weight loss program. It shows the rate your body
burns calories just for basic metabolic functions, i.e. how many calories would you burn for a day if you just lie in bed. "Lying in bed" isn't very exact of course, because if you are thinking or having conversation while in bed, your body will still burn more calories than your BMR. The BMR shows just the minimum calories required to stay alive.
Your BMR depends on your gender, you age, height and weight. A basic formula for calculation is as follows:
For males BMR equals 66 + 6.3 multiplied by your weight in pounds + 12.9 multiplied by your height in inches - 6.8 multiplied by your age (because BMR goes down as you get older).
For females BMR equals 655 + 4.3 multiplied by your weight in lbs + 4.7 multiplied by your height in inches - 4.7 multiplied by your age.
Your daily BMR plus the calories you burn for sport and other activities make the total number of calories you burn per day. This is precisely why BMR is so important - it helps you plan a weight loss or weight gain program.
Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
You can't identify whether you are overweight or not just by looking at your weight. A 160cm high female weighting 80kg is definitely overweight, but for a 190cm high male the same weight sounds like being too thin. Only when related to height and age your weight means something.
This is where BMI comes. It's an index calculated by a simple formula which helps you get a good idea of your body health, at least in terms of being overweight or underweight.
Your BMI equals your weight in pounds multiplied by 703 and then divided by the square of your height in inches.
Of course just looking at the index is not going to tell you much if you don't know what the values mean. Here is the answer:
- If your BMI is under 18.5 you are underweight.
- Values between 18.6 and 24.9 are normal.
- Values between 25 and 29.9 show you are overweight.
- If your BMI is 30 or higher your weight is obese.
I hope you are in the normal range, but if you are overweight you can plan some weight loss program considering your BMR and current activity level and hopefully improve your health.
If calculating your BMR and BMI using these formulas causes you a headache don't worry. Here is a free BMI calculator and free BMR calculator for you. Enjoy!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Clifton
