What is a Healthy Weight for Me?

As a trainer, I get this question a lot.

If you know me or have been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm not going to give a simple answer. I will give a range with examples but it's not a "one size fits all" situation.

The Quick Answer

Most people reading the FitChurch blog are looking to lose some weight, build stamina for daily tasks, and to just be healthy. With that in mind, here's the "quick and dirty."

Based on BMI (body mass index), there is a range that your doctor wants you to be in to be as healthy as you can be, since that is their goal as your physician.

There are generally four main ranges:

1.) Underweight (<18.5)
2.) Normal weight (18.5 - 25)
3.) Overweight (25 - 30)
4.) Obese (>30)

Here's an example. Jane Doe is a 5'5" tall female in her mid 40's. Here are her ranges:

Underweight - less than 111 lbs
Normal weight - 111 - 150 lbs
Overweight - 150 - 180 lbs
Obese - 180 lbs and up

Here's a formula that you can use:

BMI = (body weight in lbs / height in inches squared) x 703

So, if Jane weighs 150 lbs and is 5'5" tall (65" x 65" = 4225):

BMI = (150 / 4225) x 703
BMI = 0.0355 x 703
BMI = 24.95

Keep in Mind

A few things to keep in mind are:

1.) Your goals
2.) Your weight is NOT who you are
3.) Start with what you can hand and go from there

Your Goals

 

Body Mass Index doesn't give us the whole picture. There are bodybuilders and strongmen who are clinically obese, yet their bodyfat percentage is very low. Are they healthy? According to their blood tests and other factors, they may be very healthy, even though their BMI says otherwise. Does this still take it's toll? Yes. Even though most of their weight is muscle the weight still takes it's toll on their knees and other joints. If they are large enough, it can also take it's toll on their heart as the heart still needs to pump large volumes of blood to more muscle.

Just keep in mind that your goals have an impact on your decisions. For most people reading this blog, being a bodybuilder is not even a thought. Nonetheless, I wanted to explain this situation and broaden your understanding.


"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7 NIV)

Your Weight is NOT Who You Are

 

You are more than the number on the scale! You are a human being. You were lovingly created by God. He loves you. I love you. Never forget that!

Is the number on the scale important? Yes. Is it the end all be all? No. Keep track of it to measure progress but don't get hung up on it. Focus on making positive changes like eating veggies and lean protein at every meal and the weight loss will follow.

Start With What You Can Handle and Go From There

 

As with anything, change can be a challenge. Don't put more on yourself than you can handle.

 God never gives us more than we can handle so why would we give ourselves more than we can handle?

  

So What is the Right Weight for You?

Yes, BMI is important and is a good guideline and the healthiest range is a BMI between 18.5 and 25. Keep your overall goals in mind and don't let your current BMI discourage you. Make an appointment with your physician to decide on your goal weight then get guidance from a qualified personal trainer and/or dietitian to help you progress toward your goal at a sustainable pace. 

Lastly, enjoy the ride! Enjoy learning new recipes and exploring different exercises and tastes of different foods. This will bring new energy and enthusiasm into your life!

Love God. Love people.

-Chris Finley

 

Intentions, Action, and Sea Guils

As I was reading Andy Andrew's The Noticer, he gave a a great analogy about intentions...

There are five sea guils perched on a dock. One decides to fly away. How many are left? (Paraphrased)

If you said four, think again. The sea guil decides to fly away. He has an intention to fly away but it never said that he flew away.

There's a big difference between intentions and  action.

You can have the best intentions in the world to lose weight, but without progressive action your results are no different from someone who never even thought about losing weight.

There are 4 basic stages of decision making:

1.) Pre-contemplation
2.) Contemplaion
3.) Preparation
4.) Action

A Quick Rundown

 

Pre-contemplation is when someone isn't even aware or considering making a change. Contemplation is when someone is thinking about or considering making a change. Preparation is the stage when someone has a desired goal and is starting to make small changes or is getting ready to make a change. Action is when someone is taking noticeable action to change their outcome.

Most people are stuck in the contemplation and preparation stages. They have the best intentions but they never dive in and take action.

Long story short, there are many reasons why we may not take action. Just don't stay stuck in the contemplation and preparation stages.

You may think that the action you need to take is too difficult. It takes too much work or time. My response to that is:

1.) How much more emotional energy are you spending contemplating when you could be happy and getting results?

2.) How do you know what it will take if you don't actually take action?

Start where you are comfortable and progress from there. 

It's the same with our relationships with God. We can intend to "check it out" or to spend time with God. We can intend to go to church and grow. We can intend to ask for forgiveness of our sins. But if we never take action, all our intentions will get us is judgement from God because we never took the steps to accept the gift Christ gave us.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Your bail is paid. Accept that Christ died on the cross to save us from the judgement that our sin would otherwise bring on us. Follow Him.

Love God. Love people.

-Chris Finley

How Many Repetitions Should I Do?

Here's a quick overview of what repetition (rep) range you would use to achieve specific results.

The body is very specific in how it adapts. If you do sets of 20 repetitions, you will get better at doing 20 reps. You may or may not get better at doing sets of 8 reps with heavier weight and vice versa.

Be it more definition, more stamina, more strength, or even more bone density, every goal has a rep range that will give you the "biggest bang for your buck."

So here it is: 

1-5 reps - Strength, power, bone density
6-12 reps - Muscle growth, improved body composition (more muscle, less fat)
12-20 reps and up - Muscle endurance and stamina, fat burning

We need to spend time in each rep range as part of an entire progressive workout plan. However, your goal will dictate which rep range you'll spend the majority of your time.

If you want stamina through the roof, you'll spend most of your time in the 12-20 rep range. If you want to be really strong, you'll spend most of your time between 1 and 5 reps. If you want to be muscular, spend most of your time between 6 and 12 reps.

With every goal, there will be some cross-over. Even though your main goal may be stamina and weightloss, it would benefit you greatly to venture down to 12 and even 8 reps every now and then because those rep ranges build muscle which feeds into the ultimate goal of improved body composition.

All of this is taken into consideration as part of an entire progressive workout plan and progression is the key. We'll cover more about how this all goes together in a bit so stay tuned!

I hope and pray that these articles help clear up some confusion. Please give your feedback and share this with friends and family so we can help them honor God by leading a healthy lifestyle too!

Love God, love people.

Chris