Body Shapes and Weighty Issues

Your body shape is closely linked to weight related health issues.

Let us look at the relationship in-depth. Your body shape depends on the location where the fat deposits are concentrated. Broadly, body shapes can be classified into pear and apple shaped.

Pear shaped bodies have fat deposits in the lower regions of the body. That is waist downwards. The waist is well formed and defined. The bottom, thighs and legs are fatter and heavier.

Apple shaped bodies have fat concentrated along the middle portion, that is, the waist and abdominal areas. They have comparatively thinner legs.

What is your shape?

To find whether you are an apple or a pear, you should take your body measurements of waist and hips. If the figure arrived at by dividing waist measurement by hip measurement is less than 0.8, then you are pear shaped. When the figure is more than 0.8, you are apple shaped.

Why should you determine your body shape?

If you are overweight or obese, your body shape determines the way the health issues develop. The risk, symptoms and development of various disorders vary for both body shapes.

For example, a pear shaped person has more chances of chronic diseases like varicose veins and skeletal disorders. They are also prone to issues related to low self-esteem and negative body image.

An apple shaped person invites a host of health problems, most of them related to upper body organs. Cardiac problems, breast cancer, irregularities in menstruation, type 2 diabetes and stress-related ailments.

Which is better – pear or apple?

Body fat is not a healthy sign, whether it is in the middle or lower portions of the body. However, the closer it is to the heart, the worse it is. As organs that are more vital are located in the upper parts of the body, the fat concentrated in the midsection means added risk to a host of serious diseases.

This makes apple shaped at greater risk for many life-threatening diseases. This classification doesn’t mean a clean chit to pear shaped persons. Pear shaped face higher risk to different health problems, but the difference is that the ailments are not as grave.

Pears need not rejoice or relax. Pears can change to apple any time, if not properly monitored.

Your shape is determined partly by your genes and your lifestyle. Of course, you cannot change your genes. Therefore, the only option is to change the lifestyle. Irrespective of your body shape, take care to maintain an optimum body weight.

The body shapes determine the health issues only when you are overweight. By eliminating this clause in the condition, you can eliminate the health risks as well. Hence, the immediate step should be to lose the extra baggage, whether it is around the middle or further lower.

While you are at it, you may protect yourself from health issues by eating the right food. Apples should give more importance to heart, while pears should concentrate on bone health.

Category: The Best Weight Loss Articles!