Before starting a weight-training or diet program, it is important to understand your body type.
by Joanne Henning Tedesco —
In the 1930s, Harvard psychologist William H. Sheldon described three basic body types with terms that are still used today. These are:
Ectomorphic — A quick metabolism and a slender body with little fat are hallmarks of an ectomorph. This body type has a lean frame, often with narrow hips, long legs and a long neck. Some ectomorphs have trouble gaining weight.
Mesomorphic — Muscular mesomorphs look like natural-born athletes, with wide shoulders, narrow waists and broad hips. The weight they gain tends to distribute itself evenly, and they lose fat and build muscle at a fast rate.
Endomorphic — Endomorphs suffer from a slow metabolism. They put on pounds quickly and have to fight to keep weight off their heavy bones and sturdy frames. Without exercise, their body fat sticks around, even when they follow a healthy eating regimen.
These three distinct body types, or differences in frames, transcend weight or shape. Like eye color or height, they are dictated by heredity, and fixed at birth.
Before starting a weight-training or diet program, it is important to understand your body type. This will help you set realistic expectations and attainable goals. For example, if you are an endomorph, an exercise and diet plan may change the amount of fat and muscle on your body, but it can not make a big-boned woman look like a waif. Remember, endomorphs and ectomorphs tend to develop smaller muscles than mesomorphs.
No body type is inherently better or more beautiful than any other, but it is important to make the body you have as healthy and fit as possible.
Joanne Henning Tedesco is editor of AzNetNews.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 25, Number 3, June/July 2006.
January 27, 2013
Exercise, Healing, Health, Weight issues