Check out your fingers. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? Mine is. Uh Oh. That means I have nearly double the chance of developing osteoarthritis, according to a recent study.

Size differences between ring fingers and index fingers have already been linked to sexual and physical ability and performance in university exams, but researchers have now discovered that arthritis might also be connected to the size of fingers.

Type 3 Finger Pattern is what it's called when people have the common male trait of a shorter index finger, and it's now been linked to arthritis of the hips and knees. More common in women than men, the mechanism that accounts for this finding -- and one linking this finger pattern with early onset menopause -- is unknown.

Sounds like I could be headed for future health issues. How about you?

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Maybe the whole Body Mass Index (BMI) thing just isn't too accurate. I mean, how can a tool that takes into account only my height and weight really tell me if I'm overweight or not? What about muscle mass -- not that I have too much -- and bone density, and body fat? Don't all these factors play a role in what number appears on my bathroom scale? Surely, they do. Still, BMI measurements serve as a general guide, offering somewhat of a clue about weightiness.

Runner's World offers this cool BMI calculator you might want to check out. It's really easy to use. Just enter your weight (mine is 135) and your height (I'm 5'7") and presto! Your BMI number will present itself in an instant. Mine is 21.1, which means I am in a normal weight range. Here's how the numbers break down, according to the National Institutes of Health.

• Underweight: Less than 18.5

• Normal Weight: 18.5 to 24.9

• Overweight: 25 to 29.9

• Obese: 30 or greater
  
  

For more about Body Mass Index, check out this site. And for a different spin on BMI, use this AOL Body tool. It even includes waist measurement as an indicator.

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So the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be the best indicator of obesity. It only accounts for height and weight and gives a whole host of other factors (muscle mass, for one) no attention at all. There's also the skin fold test, or pinch test. I called my local health and fitness center to inquire about this option -- I'd really like to see where I fall on the body fat spectrum after losing some weight -- and I was told it's not all that accurate either. Since the skin is pinched and measured using calipers, it's difficult to grab the same fat each time it's done. Obviously, this can skew results. So where do I go now for a precise evaluation of my fat?

I could go for a waist-hip ratio -- a tape measure is used around the waist and hips -- but this won't tell me exactly how much fat I'm carrying around. That leaves one method -- hydrostatic weighing. It happens to be the only route recommended by the fitness trainer I spoke with on the phone, and it involves a whole lot of water and a whole lot of exhaling.

Hydrostatic weighing works like this: After expelling all of the air from the lungs, a person is repeatedly submerged in water for five to 10 seconds. It's a very reliable measure, the gold standard really for assessment of body composition. It can be scary for those who fear the underwater world, but it works and is available at various health and fitness centers.

What do you think -- would you get dunked to capture the essence of your own body fat?

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I think there's not a whole lot of difference between practicing healthy habits for general wellness and practicing healthy habits for the prevention of breast cancer. Just check out the points made in this article about warding off the nasty disease that this year will strike about 178,000 American women.

The suggestions seem pretty familiar, don't they? That's because they're generally good for the body. And so it's simple, really. Just live a clean life, shoot for good health, and you'll have a fairly good shot at warding off all sorts of unwanted illness, like breast cancer.

In a nutshell, here's what tops this article's list of healthy habits:

• Maintain a healthy weight. A 2005 study showed women who gained weight after a breast cancer diagnosis had an increased risk of recurrence. Other studies show overweight women have a greater chance of a first-time breast cancer diagnosis. And countless studies indicate excess weight is bad for the heart, cholesterol, bones, joints, and more. Body Mass Index (BMI), although not a perfect measure, can help you chart your healthy weight.

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Are you a consumer of high glycemic index (GI) foods? Probably you are -- most of us are at regular intervals. New research reports, however, that not only will you gain more weight from eating a diet rich in high glycemic foods, but there are risks to liver health as well.

The study involved mice of course, and the liver problems caused by overconsumption of high glycemic foods has already been termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

White bread, potatoes and refined starches cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, which causes the problems. In fact, I'd go as far as saying everyone should cut out as many refined, white products as possible: bread, rice, potatoes, flour and anything else that contains refined (read: nutritionally worthless) grains and bleached flour products.

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I love this new news: So-called bad carbohydrates, breads and pastas, are not so bad. I understand this is merely the opinion of one man who did a study -- another study may demonstrate just the opposite -- but in the face of confusing nutrition information, I like to side with the point of view that most suits my desires. And I desire to not worry about carbs. So this is the perspective I'm backing.

University of Virginia professor Glenn Gaesser says eating bad carbs will not make you fat. "It's just nonsense," he says.

Eating sandwiches with white bread isn't going to kill you, says Gaessar. It won't lead to obesity either. It might even help you lose weight.

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The Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement is not all it's cracked up to be. It's a good guide and can offer a general view of your placement on the obesity continuum, but it's based on height and weight alone -- and herein lies the problem.

BMI doesn't take into account body frame or muscle mass and in one recent study cited in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports, 60 percent of women were heavier or thinner than their BMI calculations indicated.

Next time you're in the market for determining your true size, ask for a skin fold test at your doctors office or your local fitness club. Let someone actually pinch that fat. Then, you'll know more clearly where you stand.

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I was elated to read in my first-grader's school newsletter on Monday that first and third-grade students will have their Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements calculated during the month of October. I'm not sure why these two grades were chosen, but I'm happy to see some attention paid in the public school system to the issue of childhood obesity.

After I read this exciting BMI announcement, I flipped through a few more newsletter pages and landed right on the school's lunch menu. Interesting what I found. On October 9, kids can ingest loaded fries or a chicken patty -- fried or breaded, I assume -- and on October 10, they get to pick either a hamburger or a corndog. On October 17, the options are chicken fried rice or beef nachos. Chicken nuggets make the menu on many-a-day. So does mac and cheese. And pizza is served every Friday. Now I know there are nutritional guidelines that float around somewhere near where this food is prepared and perhaps I'm jumping the gun and making claims that are not warranted -- but I can't bring myself to believe these food items are very healthy. I do know fruits and vegetables are served as side dishes so that's a plus. Still, I'm just not OK with what comes out of our school cafeteria.

My question is this: If administrators are willing to screen kids for obesity, can't they do a little preventative maintenance and fuel our kids with the good stuff? I know crappy food costs less than healthy fare, but isn't the health of our nation's children worth it? I think so.

Are you surprised at all when I tell you American obesity rates are soaring? Probably not. I wasn't when my husband told me about this weighty article he'd read. It revealed that not one state showed a decline in obesity during the year 2006. Mississippi was the first state to crack the 30 percent barrier for obese adults. West Virginia and Alabama were just slightly behind. Colorado was the leanest state with a 17.6 percent rate. This year's report, looking at overweight children for the first time, has the District of Columbia topping the charts with heavy kids and Utah boasting the lowest rates for little ones.

Obesity is becoming an epidemic. And we need to treat it as an emergency. First step: determine where you stand. My hubby located this body mass index (BMI) calculator. I share it with you today so you can chart your own measurement. Just enter your height and weight and then calculate your BMI with one click of your mouse. If you come up with the number 30 or higher, you fit the definition of obese. If you find yourself in this predicament, you're in the right place. That's Fit offers an abundance of health and fitness tricks that can help you whittle away at your digits. If you are below the 30 mark, pat yourself on the back. And keep on truckin' in the direction of health, fitness, and wellness.

There's just one way to fix our nation's obesity problem -- plain old hard work. Each and every one of us must eat right, exercise right, and minimize our health risks. Only then can we watch our obesity statistics, like our BMIs, melt away to more perfect numbers.

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If you get heartburn more than twice a week, you ought to embrace the basic tenets of a healthy lifestyle. Not only will they keep you in fighting shape, they'll solve that indigestion problem too.

Heartburn, sometimes a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can be minimized, even cured, with the right kind of exercise. Try walking, biking, swimming, yoga, and gentle weight training. Steer clear of high-impact aerobic activity -- this can make reflux more intense. And try to wait two hours after eating before exercising.

Gaining weight can also make GERD worse. A rise in your body mass index can bring on or worsen symptoms, especially if the pounds land in the abdominal region. Eating smaller portions works too by decreasing acid. Make sure to eat meals three hours prior to bedtime since symptoms are often worse at night.

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If you serve your child a low-glycemic breakfast every morning, chances are he or she will not eat that many calories during the coming day, according to new research.

Can you say whole-grain oatmeal, organic cane sugar and perhaps a little yogurt? That is an example of a low-glycemic breakfast, and won't spike energy levels (and hunger pains) like refined-carb pancakes and biscuits (and many junk food cereals).

A quick and easy way to assure a low-glycemic breakfast is to have plenty of whole-grain hot and cold cereals stocked. It doesn't sound filling to many kids (it even may sound disgusting), but it is, by far, a better choice than pancakes, bacon and sausage.

Or, try whole-grain pancakes with fresh fruit on top. It goes over well, trust me!

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When temperatures get as hot as they were this past weekend in the Midwest (upper nineties and into the triple digits) the weather man ends up talking more about the heat index it seems than anything else. So how hot is too hot, especially when it comes to the heat index measurement? Obviously it depends on what you want to do outdoors, but you may be surprised at how quickly the heat index can climb to dangerous levels.

According to the National Weather Service the heat index starts to become hazardous at 104º, but it's extremely dangerous once it gets to 126º. Sound impossibly hot? Not really -- just a temperature of 92º combined with a relative humidity of 85% will get you there. Here in Iowa that's at least half the summer -- be careful out there!

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One of the latest diets to gain increasing popularity is the GI or Glycemic Index Diet. There has been lots of talk about the craze here at That's Fit and blogs have included Rigel Gregg's post on whether or not the diet actually works and Martha Edwards' discussion on GI Diet-worthy snacks.

So you've probably heard about the Glycemic Index by now but have you ever wondered what exactly it is? I knew that it had something to do with blood sugar levels but that was about it. Apparently the index ranks different carbohydrates based on the effect that they have on glucose levels in our blood. Foods with a low GI (bran cereal, and whole wheat and pumpernickel bread, for example) cause glucose levels to remain at a fairly constant level, which means that they give you energy steadily over a longer period of time.

High GI foods (such as white rice and breads, and sugary cereals) cause blood sugar to spike quickly and then fall, meaning you'll get a quick burst of energy but then end up feeling sleepy. Medium GI foods fall somewhere in the middle. Those who favor a diet of low GI foods say that, not only does it help with weight loss but that it decreases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. For more information on the Glycemic Index, take a look here.

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Body weight, BMI, body measurements, calories eaten, calories burned, ideal body weight, muscle mass, percent body fat...it seems like there is nothing but numbers flying around out there when it comes to measuring people's health! Do you know what they all mean? How do you measure your own personal fitness? Do know if it's really the most accurate for you?

Take this quiz and see how much you really know (I like it because it gives an explanation after each answer), and read this article for some great information (or do it the other way around and read the article first -- then you'll do a lot better on the quiz!).

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