Lighten Up, Your Knees Will Thank You

By Dana Sullivan

The physics is simple: The more weight your knees have to bear, the higher the risk of injury. To calculate your weight in relation to your height and figure out if your body mass index (BMI) is straining your knees, multiply your weight in pounds by 703 and then divide that figure by your height in inches, squared. Or just go to nhlbisupport.com/bmi where there’s a calculator that will do the math for you. According to Timothy E. Hewett, Ph.D., director of the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, women should aim for a BMI of 25 or lower, and men should shoot for 20 or lower.