Health Tip: Don't Rely on Your BMI

When paying attention to your health and fitness everyone has their own formula for what works for them.  For me, I stay away from numbers.  I don't pay attention to the scale or count calories. For me, feeling fit, working out, eating healthy and liking how my clothes fit me works.  In case you're into BMI, check this out... The number calculated from your weight and height to create your body mass index, or BMI, is used by doctors to determine if you’re at a healthy weight.  However, even though the number is accurate, exactly what it measures is up for debate.

The problem with using BMI as a measuring tool to see if you’re overweight, normal or underweight is that it doesn’t distinguish between fatty and lean tissue.  Therefore, it’s misleading and can cause doctors to misdiagnose a condition such as an eating disorder or obesity.

“The B.M.I. tables are excellent for identifying obesity and body fat in large populations, but they are far less reliable for determining fatness in individuals,” explained Dr. Carl Lavie, a cardiologist at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans to The New York Times.

To calculate your BMI, simply divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters.  Example: Weight = 68 kg, Height = 165 cm (1.65 m)  Calculation:68 ÷ (1.65)2 = 24.98

If you fall below an 18.5 you’re said to be underweight, from 18.5 to 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 and above indicates obesity. When calculating your BMI keep in mind that it isn’t a perfect measurement.

Lashing Out: Serums, Mascaras and Treatments, Oh My!

Last week The New York Times reported on the craze in eye lash enhancement.  It's a booming market and each month the beauty industry and consumers find out about a brand new potion, wand or treatment that promises to make you batters fuller, longer and all around more luscious. What girl doesn't want that? But with so many on the market how's a girl supposed to choose? Let me break it down for you: Serums: Full of peptides, if you swipe on a serum once a day at the lash line you're guaranteed longer, fuller lashes in 6-8 weeks.  Latisse is a prescription only serum that costs $120 a pop, but RapidLash can be found at drugstores for $50 and offers the same results.  I've tried and tested, RapidLash and got great results.  Patience and consistency are key.

2-in-1's: Some cosmetic companies are creating double ended wands that have mascara on one end and the serum on the other.  Two examples, L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara, $10.95 and Sue Devitt Lash Intensifer Treatment & Lengthening Mascara, $49.  These are convenient because they're two products in one, but if you love your mascara (and when many of us find a mascara that works wonders we don't tend to part) then this isn't for you.

LashDip: This is the latest lash boosting treatment on the market that acts as semi-permenant mascara and stays put on your real lashes for up to six weeks.  A gel is painted onto your batters so you can wake up in the morning looking enhanced with out having to take the extra step of the wand.

Eyelash Extensions: Individual lashes that are attached to your own individual lashes with glue by using tweezers.  The process takes about an hour and a half to two hours, but the lashes are luscious!  The cost of the treatment is lessening, which is great for the lashionistas out there, but is an average of $300 and they last about four to six weeks.  I've had them before and loved them!  As soon as they all fell off I felt naked.

You can always boost your batters with classic mascara.  Knowing which is right for you, can make a world of a difference.  Personally, I love using RapidLash with mascara.  Mascara's my finishing touch!