Determining Your Body Shape

Before you can perform the right exercises for your body, you need to determine which type of body shape you have.

• Hourglass: Women with an hourglass shape are often envied by all of their friends. This is because hourglasses have well-proportioned upper and lower bodies, with a distinctively narrow waist. However, if you are an hourglass, you may find that you tend to gain weight all over your body, particularly in your hips and chest area. Hourglasses tend to be endomorphs or mesomorphs.
• Pear: Pear-shaped women tend to have larger lower bodies and smaller upper bodies. If you are a pear, you will find that your hips are slightly wider than your shoulders and that you tend to gain weight below your waist. Pears usually have small chests and flat stomachs. Most pears are mesomorphs.
• Apple: Apples are generally bigger on the top half of their bodies than on the bottom half. They commonly have slim hips and a large chest and stomach. Apples tend to gain weight above the waist or along the backside. The majority of apples are mesomorphs or endomorphs.
• Ruler: Women with a ruler shape tend to be waif-like and slim. Rulers have no large differences between the size of their hips, waists, and shoulders. Rulers tend to put on weight in their stomach and backside, while maintaining slender arms and legs. Most rulers are ectomorphs.

What is Body Shape?

In addition to your body type, you will also find that you have a distinct body shape. Your body shape is based upon the size of your physical features and the overall balance of your body. Men and women tend to have different body shapes. Men are often described as having a rectangular shape or a cone shape. Women are typically described as having hourglass, pear, apple, or ruler body shapes.

Exercise to make the best of your body shape

Exercise to make the best of your body shape
Depending upon your genetics, as well as your exercise routine and diet, your body shape may be quite different from those around you.
Not everyone likes the body type or shape that they are born with, but there are ways to make the most of what you have. Here are some tips on how to identify your body type and shape as well as how to sculpt it with the best possible exercises.

There are six basic body types:
•8 frame or hourglass
•A frame
•H frame
•V frame
•Ruler
•Oval/Apple
Each body frame carries weight differently and, therefore will pose different exercise challenges to the individual.

The 8 frame is considered the perfect body shape. It is often called the hourglass figure. For those of you lucky enough to have this naturally proportionate shape blessed with chest and hips of the same size and a waist ten inches smaller, your job is easy.

You can perform any type of cardio which means you can vary your work out to keep from being bored. You should still include a regiment of resistance training at least twice weekly. Work all of the muscles of the body between the two days.

If you are 8 frame or an Hourglass

If you are have an hourglass figure, then you should be focusing on both cardio and resistance exercises. Cardio will assist in keeping your weight in check, while resistance exercises will help to maintain balance between your upper and lower body.

Vary your repetitions and keep your resistance weights light so as not to build too much muscle mass. Here are some great exercises that you may want to try:

•slow jogging
•stationary biking (with light resistance)
•jumping jacks
•swimming
•bicep curls, shoulder press, and squats

The A body shape is not quite as lucky as the 8 frame. This body type is thinner on the upper body and carries most of the body weight in the hips, thighs, and butt. This body shape wants to avoid doing cardio exercises that will increase the muscle size of the lower body.

This means the stair climber is out unless you want to increase the spoon like figure proportions. Stick with the elliptical or the treadmill without an incline. Resistance training should target the upper body to even out the body shape. The bigger you make the upper body muscles, the smaller the lower body will appear.

If you are a A body type

If you are an A you will want to focus on exercises that will balance out the top half of your body with the bottom half of your body.

You will also want to try to thin down your lower half. To achieve this, focus on aerobic activities that work out your lower body and resistance exercises that will build your upper body. Use light weights and perform high repetitions of exercises. Some great activities include:

•walking

•cycling (with low resistance)

•elliptical training

•jumping rope

•leg lifts and dips

•push ups, chin ups, and shoulder press

•Training Tip:

•Cardio – 3 times per week (30 min) of low intensity exercise

•Weights- 3 times per week working the whole body and combining light and heavy weights

The H frame body shape has a larger waist and shoulders. People with this type of body want to concentrate on minimizing the waist. The cardio choices for this body include the treadmill with an incline and the stepper. Resistance training should concentrate on the lower body. Squats and leg presses are great resistance exercises for the H body shape.

If you are a H frame

Cardio choices should be focused trimming the upper body and bringing out the symmetry. Such cardio tactics should include theTreadmill on an incline

The stepper

Proper lower body training is needed for balance to bring it up to par with the wide shoulders. Focus on squats, leg press and stiff dead lifts as the bulk of your training, and use the extension and lunges as finishers.

The V frame body also known as the "cone shape" has shoulders measuring at least two inches more than the hips. This body shape is usually bigger up top and smaller on the bottom. The goal for this body shape is to build up the lower body to even out the body shape.

For cardio, the stepper is a good way to burn fat while increasing the muscle tone in the legs. Avoid doing cardio that will slim the legs. As with the H frame, resistance training should focus on the lower body.

If you are a V frame

The stepper is a good form of cardio to burn calories and add thickness to the legs.

The treadmill on an incline is also good, but this body type is best to avoid the elliptical machine, as it will lean the legs up too much.

To bring the legs up to speed, focus on quality leg training. Basic power movements should compose the bulk of your leg training, such as squats, leg presses and stiff deadlifts. Shaping exercises such as extensions and lunges are a good finisher for legs.

The Ruler body shape is usually equally thin from bottom to top. A person with this body shape has difficulty adding weight and shape. The majority of exercise should be resistance training. Too much cardio will only further minimize the body. Focus on resistance exercises for the whole body evenly. Building muscles on the upper body and lower body will help bring out more shape.

If you are a ruler

Running is the ideal exercise for you. This will keep your build lean. You can do this for about half an hour. Sit-ups can also do well for you to strengthen your abs and maybe even that prominent belly look. You can do these 3 sets of 20 if you can.

The ideal sports that you can engage to will be volleyball and basketball. These sports will involve your whole body and you can do this for also half an hour. Reaching and stretching before the game will do wonders on your upper body segment.

To ensure that you build a symmetrical body shape, all of the muscle groups should be emphasized and routinely given a workout. Focus on:

•stretching
•sit-ups
•step classes
•spinning
•walking or jogging on an incline
•squats
•bench press and shoulder press

The apple/oval body shape is biggest in the middle, chest and stomach, but little in the arms and legs. This body shape wants to concentrate on cardio that will burn fat and build toned legs. The stepper and the treadmill on incline are great cardio to lose weight all over while still building some muscle tone on the legs.

Resistance training should concentrate on the lower body, again to build tone in the legs.

If you are an Apple

If you are an apple, you will want to focus on aerobic training in order to slim down and lose body fat. By working on the lower half of your body, you can help balance out your chest and shoulders.
Look to perform exercises that are low-resistance and involve low repetitions, such as:
•stair climbing

•walking on an incline

•running

•leg squats, leg press, and dead lifts

•The trick is, know your body shape and the exercises to use to sculpt the masterpiece.

Note: Some women will not fit into any of these categories but the basic principles still apply. Regular exercise, light weights or resistance training and a healthy low fat diet will deliver lasting results over the long term.

Get in Shape with Little or No Equipment

You think that if you drop $1,500 on that elliptical machine, you'll be honor-bound to spend some serious hours on it. But it doesn't work that way. Instead, try some of the no-equipment roster of fitness moves explained by the Zen Habits blog, or a similar set of no-stuff-needed workouts outlined by Dumb Little Man. (Original posts: equipment spending, no equipment 1, no equipment 2) Image by mikebaird.

Exercise and Metabolism Revisited

In my last few posts I have been revisiting the topic of boosting your metabolism.  I began by explaining exactly what metabolism is and then moved on to explain how eating affects your metabolism.  Today I am going to discuss how exercise affects your metabolism.
As I mentioned in previous articles metabolism is influenced by three main factors:
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive).
- Your level of Physical Activity.
- The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat).
HOW DOES RESISTANCE TRAINING BOOST YOUR METABOLISM?
Resistance training (also known as strength training or weight lifting) is anything that involves using resistance to build strength and muscle mass.  Examples include bodyweight training, using weight machines and lifting free weights.  Resistance training also burns additional calories during the workout but the main way it boosts your metabolism is by increasing your muscle mass.  Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat.  The difference is not huge but according to About.com a pound of muscle requires 6 calories per day to maintain whilst a pound of fat requires 2 calories per day to maintain.  Therefore, by performing regular resistance training and building muscle mass you can increase your BMR and the overall amount of calories you burn on a day to day basis.

Hair Loss Treatment

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Treatment options include grooming techniques, wigs and hairpieces, medications, and surgery.

• Styling hair to cover the areas with the most hair loss is effective for mild cases. Washing and styling the hair will not cause further hair loss.
• For more severe hair loss, wigs and hairpieces can provide good results if you are willing to try them. Either of these options can be used in combination with medications or surgery if the results of styling or the hairpiece alone are not satisfying.

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