Carrying a little extra body fat, or even qualifying as genuinely obese by government BMI standards affects more people...kids, moms and dads. Body Mass Index should guide rather than dictate what sort of body sculpting strategy will give you the best body shape.

BMI Essentials. The scoop on Body Mass Index concerns body proportions, more narrowly the specific inferred ratio between your overall body weight and body height versus a "statistical average" of body fat than can be inferred through the BMI calculation. A low Body Mass Index calculation, such as 20 means you're OK, more or less considered "healthy" in some statistical population-level way of looking at yourself.

Body Mass Index Calculation Limitations. A "low" or "high" BMI varies widely based on simple inheritance. Small frame small boned persons naturally create a "low" BMI finding. Meanwhile, large-frame heavier persons automatically register above the BMI ideal for their weight and height, due to larger bones and skeletal structure. Athletes also pose yet another statistical challenge to the Body Mass Index calculation and so-called BMI ideal. Reason? An athlete like Barry Bonds, standing 6'2" and weighing 228 pounds scores a BMI 29 which is borderline obese...yet the heavily muscled super star can hardly be described as fat. Actor Tom Cruise, 5'7" and 170 pounds, cruises in with a BMI finding of 26 which definitely places this fit muscled actor in the overweight Body Mass Index segment. Who's right, and who's wrong?

Understanding The BMI Table. OK, time for some simple body shape insights. Columns and rows filled with figures is what you'll see when you open up the government's BMI table. Creating your BMI measurement is quite simple. Locate your height in inches along the far-left column. Move across the BMI table until you reach your weight in pounds. Trace your vision to the top row where you'll see a BMI figure, beginning with 19 and ranging to over 40. Alternatively, some web sites enable you to simply enter your height and weight and presto...your BMI calculation pops up.

Body Mass Index Anomalies. Clearly, a BMI measurement is a "statistical approximation", based on large population samples and also based on the industry and government accepted "normative standards" for determining ideal body weight...what constitutes "overweight"...what constitutes "obese".

* Overweight Children's Risks. Inactive children, grazing on sodas and simple carbohydrate snack food, certainly create some future risks of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes if they progress into adulthood with an increasing amount of body fat and a high BMI figure. The science of cause-and-effect cannot, however, definitively forecast future health risks, especially where a young person might rapidly create life style changes.

* High BMI Figure For The Elderly. Similarly, a paradox of old-age-fat is that some amount of additional fat on the body of a 70 year old confers some positive health advantages and protection. Message? Fat, of itself is not an enemy. It's always a matter of degree as well as your body type, age, health and more.