Know Body Shape What shape are you Upper, Lower, Proportiona

Shape and weight are related, but they're not the same thing. You have inherited one of the natural body shapes, depending on whether you tend to carry weight in your upper body or lower body or put on weight proportionately.

What Your Shape Means:

Upper

You carry fat in your upper body: face, neck, chest and waist. Includes women and almost all men.

* Upper-body fat is usually caused by diet and lack of exercise.
* Fat around the waist usually means that there is also internal fat, which may cause serious health problems.
* Reducing internal fat can dramatically improve your health.
* Cutting calories alone will not eliminate upper body fat.
* To lose this weight, remodel your percentage of lean body mass with calorie management, protein and exercise.

Lower

You carry fat in your lower body: hips and thighs. Predominately women.

* Lower-body fat is partially inherited, partially a result of diet.
* This type of fat does not cause specific health problems.
* Cutting calories and increasing exercise may not be sufficient to reduce lower-body fat.
* Eat more protein and include lower-body exercises in your workout.

Proportional

When you put on weight, it is spread proportionately throughout your body.

* You may not notice weight gain because it's spread throughout.
* Suggest overall body conditioning.

It's Not Just Your Weight. It's Your Body Composition.

Healthy target weight is based on your lean body mass, which includes your muscles, bone, minerals and other nonfat tissue in your body. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns. Remember, you need a certain amount of body fat for good health. It stores the energy your muscles need and serves as your body's shock absorber. Too little body fat can be as unhealthy as too much.