Your BMI Calculator Results Guide: Healthy Weight

Your BMI suggests you have a healthy weight

Beth Howard,

Updated December 22, 2025

AARP

Published April 20, 2023

/ Updated December 22, 2025

Photo Illustration: AARP; (Source: Getty Images)

The trick will be to maintain your weight for optimal health.

Keep in mind that BMI has its limitations in predicting health risks based on weight, and recommendations vary depending on several variables. For instance, in individuals with lean muscle, a higher BMI may not pose additional health risks. But if you have a large waist size, you may face additional health risks even at a normal weight.

Tips for people age 50-plus who have a healthy weight

Research shows that staying physically active is key to weight management and overall healthy aging. It’s recommended that older adults get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — an activity that elevates your heart rate and makes you break a sweat, such as brisk walking — and at least two days of muscle-strengthening exercises (for example, squats with dumbbells).

To maintain a healthy weight, it’s essential to have a balanced diet chock-full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins, which your body needs more of as you age for muscle and bone health.

Stress can contribute to weight gain and poor health. You may not always be able to avoid stressful situations, but you can work to better manage your response to daily stress.

Everyone manages stress differently, but it’s important to find healthy ways to cope. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends spending time outdoors, taking breaks from social media and engaging in relaxing activities you enjoy.

The older you get, the more medications you may take. This can affect your BMI, as many drugs list weight gain as a side effect.

If you’re prescribed a drug known to put on pounds, ask your doctor for an alternative or suggestions for staying at a healthy weight when no substitute is available.

Beth Howard is a North Carolina–based health and lifestyle writer. She has written for dozens of publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Prevention, Better Homes & Gardens and Reader’s Digest.

Reviewed by:

Kacey Chae, M.D., is an obesity medicine expert and a fellow in general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine.