BMI: Biomarker for Longevity and Health

Photo by St. Murse

Body Mass Index, also called BMI, appears to be a simple tool for determining a healthy ratio between height and weight.

Not so.

Most people will agree to the truism that a person should not be too underweight or too overweight. People should be just the right weight.

The BMI categories as published by the CDC are as follows:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight = 25 - 29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
  
But the borders between these four categories are hotly debated as is the more general idea of "ideal weight."  Public discourse on body image, body shaming, lookism, and other related topics make this an intense topic.

I am not seeking to judge anyone or dictate a course of action.

Note: The function of this post is only to raise awareness. It is not offering medical advice. If you have concerns about your BMI, please see a licensed medical professional. 

For this reasons of controversy and complexity of methods of measurement, I have procrastinating writing about this particular biomarker as part of this series on 18 biomarkers of health and longevity.

Finding Your Feet: Film Review

Released February 23, 2018.

The tagline for Finding Your Feet (2017) is "Sometimes you need a push in the right direction."

However, it could have been: "Life happens when you are busy making other plans."* 

Imelda Staunton plays the lead character, Sandra Abbott, who has been the dutiful politician's wife for decades, only to learn that her reward is not the one she imagined.

She expected that all those years keeping well coiffed and keeping house and keeping civil would result in her spending her "golden years" traveling in style.

Instead, she finds herself without husband, without home, and without her "posh" (as they say in the UK) friends.

Her husband's infidelity isn't really a spoiler because the crisis that pushes her into self-examination is depicted in the trailer:

This discovery drives her to reconnect with her sister Bif, played by Celia Imrie. Bif has lived a peripatetic life and flouts convention at every opportunity. Because of their different approaches to life. Sandra and Bif set each other off.

2019 Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness Preview

Click on Photo to Enlarge.

Two months from today, the 12th Mid-American Institutes on Aging and Wellness will take place.

When? August 8th and 9th (2019)

Where? On the campus of the University of Southern Indiana in SW Indiana.

What? More than 40 experts will present information about wellness across the lifespan that promotes healthy aging.

REGISTER HERE

Are you looking for CME credits? 

(Also called CE, CEU or CE hours.) 

Add MAIA on Facebook

The keynote speakers are as follows:

* Emily Allen, BS, MS of AARP

* Harley Gordon, JD (elder law)

* Greg O'Brien, author and EO Alz activist

* Tim Brimmer, DA from Butler University

People from a wide range of ages and vocations attend. The venue will also include a number of vendors.

There is also a pre-conference workshop on dementia care, led by Teepa Snow, who is dynamic, compassionate and well informed.

If you are already registered, come early to secure your seat and to participate in some light exercise.

Thursday August 8th starting 7:45 am, Cecile Martin will demonstrate chair yoga exercises. Follow along from your seat!

Friday, August 9th starting 7:45 am, Ron Weatherford will demonstrate beginner Tai Chi moves. Follow along from your seat!

Online Registration Is Now Open

Use #MAIAROCKS to read Tweets and Facebook posts about previous MAIA presentations. This will be the fourth time that I have attended. It's invigorating to meet new people and to learn from them.

Advice for Future Corpses: Book Review

Published 12 June 2018. 

Because I teach a university class on death, dying and bereavement, I read about a half dozen books on the topic annually.

Usually, the books take one of two approaches:

The author describes the physical, legal, and economic aspects of dying.

Or

The author describes the social, emotional, and metaphysical aspects of dying.

Tisdale does both in her book Advice for Future Corpses: A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying.

Tisdale worked for years as a nurse, but she writes like someone who is trained in the humanities. She quotes Greek philosophers, European poets, and Buddhist monks in order to create spaces for her readers to meditate about the meaning of death and dying.