It is quite natural to ask if one has an ideal weight for your age and height. It seems quite obvious that as you grow taller you gain more weight. And some have observed that the older they get the heavier they become. The truth is that there are several different factors that affect your weight and there isn’t really a standard correlation between age, height, and ideal weight.
There is no absolutely ideal or correct weight for any specific height or age for everybody. Everyone simply has a different body chemistry, which puts into account body shape, height, age, and muscle mass. You can not immediately judge that one man has a healthy weight while the next guy who is also of the same age and height hasn’t.
Why Be Concerned About an Ideal Weight for Your Age and Height
There are enough reasons why one should be well concerned about getting the ideal weight for your age and height. Being overweight or even obese may bring with it a lot of negative health effects. Health risks including high cholesterol levels, severe back pains, morbidity, high blood pressure, and other life threatening diseases can become serious problems for people who are overweight.
Using Body Mass Index
You might have heard of doctors using a body mass index to figure out if a patient has a healthy weight. It is a tool to quickly and easily determine if you are within a range where your weight is healthy for you or not. It is only one of many other tools that can be used to determine if you are within the range of an ideal weight for your age and height. It is the easiest way to determine if you have a healthy weight or not.
You’ll basically just need your height and weight in order to come up with your body mass index. You can have a health professional or your doctor do the math for you or you can go online and check it out for yourself. Just look for an online BMI calculator. From the numbers you get as your BMI, you can tell whether you are at an ideal weight for your age and height.
People who are underweight will have a BMI score of lower than 18.5 while those who are normal will have it at 18.5 to 24.9. Those who are classed as overweight will have scores within 25 to 29.9 while those who are obese will get scores of 30 and even higher.
Visit Your Doctor
Regardless of what score you get in your BMI reading, it will not be an accurate depiction whether you are at an ideal weight for your age and height or not. Remember that your BMI is only one of many things to consider. It is still advised that you visit your doctor to get a more accurate assessment of your current health condition.