Today's healthy tip
Date published: 22 January 2009
Who's at risk?
Everyone needs to make sure they maintain a healthy weight. Levels of obesity have tripled in England since 1980, and there is no sign of the upward trend stopping.
Currently, over half of women, and about two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis.
Obesity causes about 18 million sick days and 30,000 deaths a year in England alone (source: National Audit Office).
How do I know if I'm overweight? You can tell from your Body Mass Index, or BMI, whether you are overweight or obese. To work out your BMI use our BMI calculator.
Your BMI is calculated using the following equation:
Your weight in kilogrammes (kg) divided by your height in metres (m) squared
So a man who weighs 85kg and is 1.75m tall will have a BMI of 28.
A body mass index over 25 is defined as overweight, and over 30 is defined as obese.
Want to check your own BMI - there's a table at http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/obesity/
Are you trying to Get Moving to Health - let us know what works for you in the comment box below
