4 ways to tell if you're at a healthy weight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Young woman taking her pulse rate against a white background (PeopleImages.com - #514ae25e4929f)
More than 54 million Americans who are labeled overweight or obese according to their body mass index (BMI), a weight-to-height ratio, are actually healthy, says a new study in the International Journal of Obesity. Wondering where you stand? Check into these digits instead.
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Waist circumference
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If your belly is home to excess fat, you may be at greater risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Wrap a tape measure around your middle just above your hip bones, at about your belly button. A healthy measurement for women is less than 35 inches.
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Resting heart rate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Put two fingers over your pulse—at the wrist or neck—and count the number of beats in one minute. Between 60 and 100 beats is normal. A lower resting heart rate generally implies better physical health; a less active lifestyle can lead to a higher rate because the heart has to work harder.
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Body fat percentage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Unlike BMI, this number reveals the amount of excess fat, separate from muscle mass. A healthy range for women is 20 to 32 percent. Get a bioelectrical impedance analysis at your health club; a machine sends electricity through your body to calculate the amount of fat versus lean tissue.
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Basal metabolic rate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BMR factors in your height, weight, gender, activity level and age to approximate the number of calories you burn while at rest; you can also use it to estimate how many calories to cut from your diet each day to achieve your weight-loss goal. Plug in your info at supertracker.usda.gov/bwp.