What Your Body Type Reveals About Your Health and Wellness
Our bodies are all different, inside and out. The way we are composed varies in a number of ways, and these changes can actually reveal a lot about your health and wellness. Studies show that your body shape can actually indicate the best way for you to stay in shape. The main body shape types include apple, pear, hourglass, inverted triangle, and ruler shapes. It is important to understand how each body type differs and the associated health risks for each one. This will help you better combat and address these issues to achieve optimal health. Read on to learn more about what your specific body type reveals about your health.
Apple Shape
Associated Health Risks
The apple shape tends to hold more weight in the abdominal area. This body shape is the most at risk of all types because of this increased abdominal weight. Larger waistlines put people at an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This is the case even if you are not overweight, meaning you have a body mass index of under 25. An apple shape can make you more inclined to develop cancer, cardiovascular issues and diabetes than those with smaller waists.
Why Belly Fat is So Troublesome
Belly fat is such a heightened health risk because it fills in the empty space around organs. Being that belly fat has a huge influence on the metabolism, and the fat is near the organs, it has an effect on organ function. This can include the release of fatty acids into veins near the liver, and can also reduce pancreatic production. The result is also a higher blood sugar, thus risks of diabetes. It can additionally cause inflammation with the release of cytokines, which is responsible for heart disease.
Actions to Take
The goal is to trim down your waist through proper diet and exercise. Limit foods like sugar, bread, rice, white potatoes, and corn, which cause the blood sugar to spike and produce fat. More fruits and veggies, less fatty protein like salmon is a good start. Also, exercise for 30 minutes daily and focus on ab exercises to reduce abdominal fat.
Pear Shape
Associated Health Risks
Research is not as thorough for pear-shaped health risks because it has been thought of as a less risky body type — because fat in the lower body region is supposedly less unhealthy. But new studies show that a leaner lower body can still have its own benefits, like lower cholesterol.
Actions to Take
It can be harder to lose weight from the stubborn lower region of the body. The same high fruit and veggie, lower fat protein diet, with regular exercise is beneficial to pear shapes also.
Hourglass Shape
Associated Health Risks
Hourglass shapes are typically thought of as proportionate and low risk of health problems. But this body shape can be sneaky because fat deposits evenly throughout the body, so it is less obvious when weight is increasing too much.
Actions to Take
Because fat is evenly distributed, it is good for hourglass-shaped people to do full-body workouts. Also low-fat and high-fiber foods are great to incorporate into your diet.
Inverted Triangle Shape
Associated Health Risks
Inverted triangle shape can be a healthier shape if it is due to building muscle in the upper body. But this shape can be troublesome for women mostly, who have larger breasts. Many women who have this shape due to breast size may worry that they are at greater risk of breast cancer. But this just means you should try to better understand your own breast density. Dense breast tissue is what increases the risk of breast cancer, not necessarily the size.
Actions to Take
To focus on your upper body health, be sure to maintain your full body weight at a healthy range, as obesity can increase the risk of breast cancer. So this means monitoring your body mass index.
Ruler Shape
Associated Health Risks
Many slender people have a ruler shape, and that is considered to be healthy. But just because you have an external slender build does not make you exempt from needing to keep a regular pulse on your internal health. Also, you can be overweight and still have a ruler body type. Also being too small can put you at different health risks, such as menstruation irregularity, malnutrition, infertility, and depression.
Actions to Take
Be sure that you are not only ensuring that you are not overweight, but that you are keeping a healthy weight that is not too low. Keep a watch on your BMI and ensure that you are consuming enough calories and fat on a daily basis.