Inspirational Woman Award Goes To….
Women over 30 – did you ever used to watch Hollyoaks circa early 2000’s?
They had a mid-late Sunday morning omnibus which was perfect for lying in bed after a night out, spilling cereal on your duvet while your Mum would make no attempt at prevent your little siblings from banging on your door (you know who you are, now grown-up siblings).
Or for your bright young under 30’s – you an Emmerdale fan?
If the name Gemma Atkinson rings a bell, it’s because she was in the first show, now in the second, and has been making headlines this week after she proudly declared she’s very happy weighing in at 11 stone.
Now this is not to dig at those of you early on in your weightloss journey and may have a way to go, but at a glance, doesn’t 11 stone sound a bit above the ideal weight (unless you’re super tall)?
Ah, the perils of the scale and Body Mass Index (BMI)
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR BMI – skip this if you already know what BMI is and scroll down to the next headline.
BMI is calculated by your weight (kg) divided by height (m) squares.
So it compares you height to your weight to see if you’re ‘in proportion’.
So if you’re 165cm tall, 1.65 x 1.65 = 2.7225
If your weight is 70kg, 70 divided by 2.7225 = 25.7 < this is your BMI.
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
THE PROBLEM WITH BMI
The issue with BMI is that ‘weight’ is your total weight, everything your made of – bones, water, muscle, fat, organs, last night’s curry still sitting in your gut……
But it’s only the ‘excess’ fat bit that’s the problem.
A rugby playing man is extremely fit and strong, but put him on a scale and it’s his doctor who’ll be having a heart attack not him.
And muscle is really heavy, compared to the same amount of fat in volume, so someone who’s strong will weigh a lot more than you think, but doesn’t look like they do.
When people come to me with a goal weight, I ask them,
‘How important is that number to you really, or do you have a dress size goal, energy levels etc too?’
Because I don’t like to make my BodyBack members ‘skinny fat’ by making them lose muscle (n.b it’s muscle that makes you look toned, it’s your bikini friend, don’t be scared of it).
I want them to be strong and healthy not weak and flabby, even if they are lighter.
Check out these pictures of Gemma.
*courtesy of The Sun newspaper
Does that look like a woman who needs to stop eating all the pies and get off the sofa?
That’s a woman who can take on the world.
I’m privileged to be spending tomorrow with some of the most inspiring women in fitness in the UK tomorrow at a Women In Fitness Empowerment mastermind.
I’m there to help them build their businesses, but honestly? I think I’ll be learning as much if not more from them.
Women who are taking on challenges, facing their fears, being independent, and sure as hell have better things to worry about than what the number on the scale says.
Because honestly, yes I help women lose weight if they need to (meaning, lose fat, not muscle), but that’s just the surface.
The best result is someone who learns the skills to be strong both inside and out, and has the confidence to take on whatever the world throws at them.
My little sister is coming with me for our overnight hotel stay too (she’s aiming for a career in fitness).
Maybe I can get her back and start poking her in the ear at 5am.
Who would you say as an inspirational woman to you?
Post in the comments below.