Fashion magazine layouts to the contrary, there is more than one healthful body type. “The thin, lean look is a media invention,” said Monique Ryan, a dietitian who operates the Evanston-based Personal Nutrition Designs. “There is a range of body types and weights, and what is healthy for you might be totally different than the next person.”
Maybe so, but Ryan and her professional counterparts have a difficult time convincing clients of that.
“A lot of people want a different body type than they have,” Ryan said. “It’s my job to be realistic for them, explain that research shows some 40 percent of the weight we carry is strictly based on genetics.”
“I tell clients I am not a sculptor,” said Nicki Anderson, a personal trainer who runs Lifestyle Fitness Inc. in Naperville. “I am not always going to be able to take a woman from a size 10 to a size 4. Yet I can help her become a size 8 who feels energetic and good about herself.”
There are three basic body types for men and women, though most of us have a combination of two:
– Mesomorphs are athletic types who build muscle easily. When they put on weight, it is usually in the abdomen.
– Endomorphs are soft and curvy with a higher percentage of body fat that can “hide” muscles. Their hips tend to be wider than their shoulders and they gain pounds in the lower body.
– Ectomorphs are lean and often tall with slender hips; their muscles may show definition but tend not to get much larger even with intense exercise programs.
Ryan said people who tend to build more muscle or even carry extra weight should not consider themselves at a disadvantage to the ectomorph fashion model.
“Mesomorphs and endomorphs are better protected against osteoporosis (the bone-thinning disease that can be crippling in later stages of life),” she said. “You might also have an increased metabolism if you exercise regularly and eat properly.
“I have observed thin clients who are basically starving themselves and losing lean muscle mass because they are not consuming enough daily calories. Other generally lean people might still put on fat in certain areas because their metabolisms have slowed down. Neither situation is healthy.”
Exercise strategies can be applied by body type.
For example, mesomorphs might use medium resistance and a high number of repetitions during weight training to achieve toning without bulking up too much. Endomorphs can focus more on moderate aerobic exercise four to six times a week to help burn excess calories. Small-boned ectomorphs are wise to add some weight training to encourage bone strength, Anderson said.
Categorizing diets by body type is less defined, Ryan said. “You can’t make broad assumptions about personal eating patterns. I have clients who respond differently to the same basic diet of 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent protein and 20 to 25 percent fat. We then have to tinker with the percentages to achieve a target weight and energy level.”
Body awareness is a key strategy when determining the best nutrition and exercise plans for your body type, Anderson said.
“My goal is for people to realize how their bodies react to good food and workouts,” she said. “It is satisfying when a client who had little body awareness six months earlier will report that she really can feel the (lethargic) effects of a rich meal or that an extra 15 minutes of walking boosted her alertness for the whole day.”
Another factor of body awareness is physical tolerance and injury potential. Some people take naturally to running without experiencing joint stiffness, while others find swimming or cycling feels better and lets them exercise longer.
Some of the newest exercise research, reported at this summer’s annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, is aimed at determining “metabolic fitness.” Such categorization might be the most valuable body-typing over the next decade.
“Your metabolic rate links to food and mood,” Ryan said. “People get hungry at different times. The key is recognizing and eating when you are actually physiologically hungry rather than just having meals and snacks at habitual times.”
AN EASTERN APPROACH TO BODY TYPES
Ayervedic medicine, a discipline first recorded 5,000 years ago in India, goes one step beyond body types. It identifies three distinct mind-body types called doshas. This approach, not tested by Western medical and scientific standards but widely accepted by Indian health practitioners, notes that people often have characteristics of two or three doshas, but one is dominant. Nutrition and exercise guidelines for each dosha are described in “The Complete Book of Alternative Nutrition”:
– Kapha: Larger body frames. Steady energy level. Good sleepers, but slower digestion and tendency to gain weight.
Recommended workouts: Aerobic dance, rowing, running, weight training.
Healthful foods: Cabbage, corn, eggplant, garlic, peppers, spinach, apples.
– Pitta: Medium in build, strength and stamina. Good sleepers, no digestive troubles. Fair-skinned and light-haired. Sharp hunger, shouldn’t miss meals. Easily overheated.
Recommended workouts: Brisk walking, hiking, jogging, swimming.
Healthful foods: Broccoli, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, oranges, pears, barley, wheat.
– Vata: Small-boned, narrow hips. Darker skin, especially compared to others in family. Creaky joints and tendency to constipation and insomnia.
Recommended workouts: Aerobic dance, walking, yoga.
Healthful foods: Almonds, asparagus, avocados, berries, carrots, chicken, chickpeas, oats.
