Do you know how much you weigh? While most people may know their weight, many people skip the part of checking whether their weight is suitable for their height. If you are wondering if your height is a big deal when it comes to your weight, it is.
“Knowing your Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful way to know if your weight is suitable for your health and whether your weight will increase your risk of developing a number of health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity,” Says CEO of MiWayLife Craig Baker.
However, different factors are at play when it comes to calculating your BMI. Your BMI will differ based on whether you are a male or female, body shape, muscle fat ratio and height. We talk to MiWayLife to find out more.
How do you calculate your BMI?
“You can use our BMI calculator tool to help you calculate your BMI in a couple of seconds. If you are wondering how BMI calculators arrive at the final result, it combines the information of your sex, height, and weight and uses the average BMI for your group to measure whether you have a healthy height to weight ratio,” points out Baker.
BMI has its limitations
Recent research has revealed that calculating our BMI has its limitations as it cannot accurately determine someone’s health at certain stages of life.
For example, people who are still in the developmental stages such as teens, pregnant women, and children will have trouble with calculating their BMI.
However, the research also revealed that instead of only focusing on body weight and height, we could start moving towards waist circumference measurements to get accurate results. The reason for this is that the fat that increases our risk of certain diseases sits around this area. The larger the waist the higher the risk.
Why do insurers care about my BMI?
Your BMI plays a crucial role when it comes to providing the correct cover for you. “During the underwriting process, an insurer will ask you for your weight and height. Your BMI will reveal the level of risk you hold and how likely it is for you to place a claim. Knowing this information beforehand by calculating your BMI using our BMI tool can quicken the process for you and ensure that you get the right cover,” Says Baker.
It is unlikely that your insurer will deny you life cover, but having an unhealthy weight could mean a loading could be added to your premiums.
