USA Today has an article today about how obesity rates in the United States are climbing. Surprised? Me neither. Many people who are obese according to their body mass index don’t even know it. I know when I weighed my highest, I certainly didn’t think I was considered obese. Overweight, sure. Obese, no. But I was obese. I assume that many people just think of themselves as overweight because they paint a picture of an obese person as someone who can hardly walk because of the weight, or someone who has a hard time getting themselves out of bed if they’re even able to do that. Those images translate into someone who is morbidly obese, or someone who has a BMI well over 40.

To give you an idea of how BMI works, I’ll use my height as an example. I am 5’4” tall, and below I list where I’d fit in the different BMI categories, but first, what are the BMI categories?

• Underweight = BMI of less than 18.5
• Normal weight = BMI of 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = BMI of 25–29.9
• Obesity= BMI of 30 or greater
• Morbidly Obese= BMI of 40 or greater

For my height, here’s where I’d fit in:

• Underweight at 5’4” would be 108 lbs or lower
• Normal weight at 5’4” would be 109lbs – 145lbs
• Overweight at 5’4” would be 146lbs – 174lbs
• Obesity at 5’4” would be 175lbs – 232lbs
• Morbidly Obese at 5’4” would be 233lbs and above

For some of you, these numbers are really going to come as a surprise.  If you’d like to determine your own Body Mass Index (BMI), there’s a website that you can go to where all you have to do is enter in your height and weight, and it will calculate your BMI for you. The BMI calculator can be found here.

The article also talked about how the lack of exercise is such a huge factor in obesity rates as well as poverty. So why is it that those living in poverty are more likely to be obese? A lot of it has to do with the fact that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are more expensive than other foods that aren’t so healthy.The five poorest states were all in the list of the most obese states.

With obesity rates climbing, I’d like to see more attention placed on living a healthy lifestyle and I think part of that attention can come on the local level within our communities or even throughout our states. The state of Iowa, where I reside, has a great program in place that other states could learn from. It’s called Lighten Up Iowa, and it’s a “statewide,web-based, and teamwork driven wellness program designed to help participants make positive and lasting changes over the course of four months that will enable participants to lead a healthier lifestyle. Our goal is to teach participants how to incorporate health into everyday life to create a culture of wellness.”

I love the last few words, “A culture of wellness” because it sounds all-encompassing. There are so many different ways that we all can create a culture of wellness that would help those obesity rates drop. It’s just a matter of doing them, which we know, is the challenging part. If you have ideas on how we can create a “culture of wellness” around us, feel free to share.

Additional Reading:
• Trim Your Abs With These Foods
• A Test of Your Fast Food Knowledge
• 5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
• Mindful Eating Can Help You Lose Weight
• How Do I Calculate My Body Mass Index - BMI?

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