BMI
Men & Women
Underweight
<18.5
Normal
18.5 – 24.9
Overweight
25.0 – 29.9
Obese
30.0 – 39.9
Extremely Obese
>40.0
Body mass index, or BMI, is the ratio of weight to height. As a person’s BMI increases, so does the risk for many diseases. However, body builders and other very muscular individuals may have a high BMI while not actually being over-fat. In this case, measuring waist [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Body
Composition
Men
Women
Low
<5%
<15%
Lean
5 – 9%
15 – 19%
Optimal
10 – 14%
20 – 24%
Acceptable
15 – 19%
25 – 29%
Over fat
20 – 24%
30 – 34%
Obese
>25%
>35%
Muscle weighs more than fat; therefore, when you begin an exercise program, especially strength training, the scale may not reflect weight loss although your body composition is changing. Testing body composition offers a more comprehensive picture of [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Waist Size
Men
Women
Low Risk
<35 in.
<32 in.
Moderate Risk
35 – 40 in.
32 – 34.5 in.
High Risk
>40 in.
>34.5 in.
Because it correlates well with how much fat is being stored within the abdominal wall, waist size may be the single most reliable indicator of risk for diabetes and heart disease.
For the purpose of standardization, measure your waist around your belly button with [...]
Got Kale?
“Dairy products are far from the solution, and may very well be a cause of the problem,” says Anna Quisel, M.D. in an article about osteoporosis. The dairy industry has done a terrific job of convincing the public that drinking milk is the key to adequate calcium consumption and strong bones. However, the calcium [...]
Based on the recipe for Costa Rican Black Bean Soup from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, but modified quite a bit to “healthify” it. It’s a little complicated, but worth the effort! It’s one of my favorite soups.
For boiling the beans:
2 c dry black beans
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
8 tbsp finely chopped red or green bell [...]
This is an original, so I don’t have a precise recipe with exact measurements. I have a general way of making it, so it’s about the same every time. Here are the ingredients I use…
1 tbsp olive oil
1 whole onion
a couple of cloves of crushed garlic
tomatoes–canned, fresh, or a combination of the two. Most often [...]
Modified only slightly from The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle by Franklin House, M.D., Stuart A. Seale, M.D., and Ian Blake Newman.
1/2 c soy mayonnaise
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 whole garlic cloves
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp salt
Put ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy, about 1 minute. Chill in a covered container before [...]
Read the rest of this entry »I (or a friend–can’t remember which) found this program on runnersworld.com. I’ve actually started at the beginning and worked through the whole program more than once after having built up to running and then gone back to walking, built up to running again, then gone back to walking… Prior to the first time, I don’t think [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Who is in Your Peanut Gallery?
I used to work as a wellness coach for a Christian organization which, among other things, actively promoted the health and well-being of its members. In a department meeting one day, my boss asked us these questions: Does it matter to God whether we are healthy or not? And why do [...]
