No matter whom you are or what kind of physical condition you are in today, you should find out what your BMI, or body mass index number is. BMI is an excellent indicator of what kind of shape you are really in. To keep things simple, just make a note that any BMI in excess of 25 is overweight. That number means that your body is 75% lean, and 25% fat.

Recently, there has been research done that tells us that a BMI over 25 puts people at increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems, and that people with an elevated BMI do not live as long as those people with a BMI that is in line with standards.

Talk to your family physician about your weight- if your BMI is high, chances are he will talk with you about your weight without the need for you to bring it up at all. It is your doctor’s job to keep you as healthy as possible, and keeping your weight under control is a big part of that.

There are lots of different BMI calculators on the internet- some of them rather generic, and others which consider your age and gender to compare you to other people in the same percentile. Do get an accurate reading to find out if you are at risk, and then put your mind to lowering that number!

This post was written by Denise Gabbard for Discount Vouchers, where you can find promotional codes for Weight Watchers to help you save money while losing weight.