BMI is Bulls*!t!

Let's have a conversation about this, because this is a topic that makes me so incredibly angry.

There are several different measurements that we as fitness professionals take when determining someone's level of health. Depending on the trainer, we take your weight, your height, your age. If it's a good trainer they will also take your pulse, blood pressure, skinfold measurements, and circumference of different body parts.

BMI is calculated simply by using your weight, height, and age (wtf?!). That's IT! This metric has literally nothing to do with your actual level of fitness, your body fat percentage, or lean muscle mass! It leads to misinformation about your health and can be incredibly harmful to people like me who suffer from eating disorders or other mental health struggles.

If your BMI is:

• Below 18.5: you are considered underweight

• 18.5-24.9: you are considered to be in the normal range

• 25-29.9: you are considered overweight

• 30 or higher: you are considered obese

Because of this, many people are wrongly labeled "overweight" or "obese". I am personally ringing in at a BMI of 31.9! This is because I have a large amount of muscle mass and I am only 6' tall. I have never felt as though I have looked healthier because I am strong and confident in myself, but looking at this number (which I only did for the sake of writing this) made me feel like I am not doing enough to be in shape.

Like me, there are SO many celebrities that fall into the same category of people that are mislabeled as Obese or Overweight because of their amount of muscle vs. fat. I have taken the liberty of compiling a small list of tastefully shirtless pics of these "obese" celebrities. You're welcome.

Hugh Jackman while filming for the X-Men movies was considered Overweight.