• How can I reduce my abdominal fat – and risk of heart disease?
• Is there a way for me to look less, you know, hip-heavy?
• I want to tone up – everywhere.
• Can I grow a butt?
We spoke to Hamilton, Ontario-based certified personal trainer Stephanie Churchill to get the lowdown on the main fitness complaints she hears from her clients – and what fitness approaches create the best results for each body type.
Although women come in different shapes and sizes, most of us fit the description of one of four main body types: round apples, bottom-heave pears, curvy hourglasses or straigh-as-a-cereal-box bananas.
No matter what your body type, it's imperative to get to your healthy body weight in order to be in top shape. You can calculate your Body Mass Index to find out if you're already at your healthiest weight. You can learn how to decode your BMI here.
Body type: Apple
Characteristics:
• Heavier on top than bottom
• Carries extra weight around the midsection
Celeb apples: Rosie O'Donnell, Tyra Banks, Catherine Zeta Jones
Common fitness complaints:
• "Abdominal fat. Apples collect fat around their middle, which raises health concerns," since excess abdominal fat is linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Churchill says.
• Even when fit, they have a less-than-taut belly.
Your fitness solution:
• Do 20 minutes of cardio warm up, then concentrate on weight training. "You can use weights to keep your heart rate up [for cardio benefits], while building lean muscle. Lean muscle burns fat, even when you're not doing anything. That's why building muscle is important for weight loss and maintenance – it speeds up your metabolism," says Churchill.
• Try a group fitness class, especially one focusing on building core strength.
Page 1 of 2 - find out great fitness programs for pear, hourglass and banana body types on page 2.
