This is either good news to you or one more thing to feel bad about. For a while now the old indicator of obesity, the Body Mass Index or BMI, has been questioned as to its value for estimating a person's risk of serious health problems due to overweight.  BMI is a ratio of height to weight and can be easily found by entering your height and weight into this calculator (http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). If one is obese according to their BMI, then this is said to be an indicator of how much at risk that person is for other health problems like, diabetes, heart-attack or other maladies.

Now, according to this article on Dr. Mercola's web site there is a new measurement that is a more accurate predictor of one's risk.  It is called the "Saggital Abdominal Diameter" or SAD for short. That is the measurement from front to back of one's abdomen taken halfway between the ribs and pelvis. It takes a large caliper to take an accurate measurement of this diameter, but it is said to give a more accurate risk assessment.

Methods of risk assessment that evaluate belly fat are more accurate because the belly fat is the fat that is hardest to lose and most indicative of risky health conditions. Dr. Mercola's article quotes a Vital Votes, reader named Joshua, from Vista, California, who points out the following:

"The midsection has  most of the receptor sites for cortisol in the body. That is why most  americans living the crappy lifestyles that they live and eating the  crappy foods are becoming belly obese.

When cortisol goes  up from chronic stress, insulin goes up as well. At that point, insulin  unlocks the door so fat can enter and be stored. So to make a long story  short, most Americans that have belly fat, the pear shape look or spare  tire look are most likely insulin resistant and have cortisol  dysfunctions as well."

Because the amount of belly fat is actually the best risk indicator, the easiest test to perform is to measure the waist around the middle from back to front straight across to the belly button. If you measure greater than 35 inches for a woman or 40 inches for a man you are at risk.

Happily, even a small weight decrease of 5 to 10 percent will decrease one's risk of developing these problems associated with obesity. We can now help you do that and more with our new Visalus program. <http://familychiro.bodybyvi.com>

Call the clinic for a sample or better yet come to the next Challenge Party to taste how easy it is to get in the shape that you have dreamed of. Challenge yourself for 90 days and transform yourself. Call today 828-664-0004.