Martha Jefferson Monday: What is BMI? - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

BMI is an acronym for Body Mass Index. It is a measure that's used to determine a person's body fat and is calculated by dividing a person's weight by their height.  

If you do a calculation, and learn where you fall, you might see that there is room to make some adjustments to your everyday routine in an attempt to become healthier.  

For adults ages 20 and above, the Centers for Disease Control recommends a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. 25-30 is overweight, and from there, as the scale increases, the levels indicate obesity, severe obesity and morbid obesity. 

If you fall outside of the normal range, there are things you can do to help lower your number.  

"What you're doing is trying to change your diet, trying to develop a good healthy lifestyle, so you're exercising every day and you're eating properly every day," said Miranda Trent, a nurse practitioner at the new Martha Jefferson Starr Hill Health Center at the Jefferson School. 

In addition to falling outside of the healthy range, high BMIs also make you more likely to suffer other diseases.  

"You're more vulnerable to having things like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, so we have to bring it down," commented Trent. 

Trent stresses that it's something that has to be worked at. "It's not going to do it on its own," she stated. However, in the end, the results will be worth it. 

The Starr Hill Health Center is conducting free health screenings including a BMI calculation. To make an appointment, call Health Connection at (434) 654-7009.  

If you have a health question you'd like for us to answer, email healthquestions@nbc29.com.