I finally completed all items required for the State's Health Insurance renewal this week. As I expected, I failed to meet the required BMI. Granted, they adhere strictly to the height/weight calculation in order to determine who is "healthy" because that's easy, but it doesn't tell them anything, at least not in my case. Consequently, I get to wear a biometric bracelet for about six months to record my physical activity and prove that I'm not overweight because I sit around eating cheetos. It doesn't tell the entire story.
Just because you are thin doesn't mean you are healthy any more than being overweight means you are in poor health. I saw a gentleman at the store this week who had massive biceps and triceps, and I bet he comes in as overweight when you consider the simple BMI calculation. Last spring, I went hiking with my buddy's nephews, one of whom was honest enough to admit that just because he was skinny didn't mean he was in shape. I have dated women who had both opinions. One woman refused to marry me because my waist was 32" and that was too big. One woman I dated admitted that she was skinny but not athletic. It's just quite simply not that simple.
Along with the biometrics, they took my blood. All of my results from last year indicate that I am a picture of health. Everything that should be low is low, and everything that should be high is high. I'm not an Olympian, but the blood says everything is in order except for my waist line. Even my hiking buddy told me after we went up to Mt. Charleston last week how much he hated the fact that I wasn't out of breath. He thinks I'm in better shape than he is despite the fact that I weigh about 30 pounds more than he does.
Years ago, I worked with a woman to make a video of my own blood. You can see what activities are going on by the cells in your blood and that indicates in one degree your level of health. Healthy Red Blood Cells are uniform in shape and do not clump. Healthy White Blood Cells will attempt to repair rather than consume your cells. Healthy blood is relatively free of pathogen cells and trash. As your blood gets healthier, it actually contains less foreign material. In other words, the more boring the video the better your health. Mine was pretty boring.
Whoever chose the BMI as an indicator will learn that in my case it means very little. The gym keeps records of my trips to play racquetball and how long I am there. The desk attendants can attest that I don't just stand in the court for 30 minutes, and some video footage might show just how well I play! What I do at home is less effectively documented, but my hikes are accompanied, and my buddy can attest that I can hike 3 miles/hour, which is the speed at which most people walk. My weight does not tell you any more about my health than an anorexic's tells you about their health. Waist line is just one measurement, and I'm annoyed to be harangued like this, only to show that it's a poor metric.
On one hand I understand- they want a better picture of health. For some coworkers, this means they will pay more. For others, it will mean they exercise more. It might help change the balance since most State employees are not in good health or shape and force people who are greater risk or lesser inclined to put forth effort to pay more. It's still overly simplified, and I reject the premise. My own wristband will show them that.
Fortunately for me, the phrasing doesn't sound like I will be penalized. What they actually require is that I participate in and record physical activity between July and February in order to receive the incentives to my monthly rates and continue to enjoy the coverage I have. In essence, it's about showing good faith rather than achieving a particular result, which sounds encouraging. Next year however I'll probably have to do it again unless I manage to lose another 7 pounds this year (I lost 13 compared to last year already but no accommodation for that appears evident) in order to get below their magical albeit meaningless BMI. Health is not just in the waistline, because sometimes that's misleading. When you cherry pick some information, you get a different answer. Facts are stubborn things, and so am I. I'll keep you posted.
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