One of my girlfriends and I were having a conversation this past weekend about the shapes of women and how weight impacts our self-image. She then leaned in and said to me, ” You know you are a pear.” I didn’t know what the heck she was talking about and so I began to argue with her that I was not shaped like a pear. I look nothing like a pear! Little did I know, that she was referring to the common body shapes of women: apple or pear. Where have I been? How had I not heard about this? Well, I did a little research and found that our body shapes really do have a significant impact on our health.
Which are you?
If you have an apple body shape, you tend to gain weight around your waist. Like the fruit the weight settles around your middle section. Apple-shaped women are also more likely to develop disorders like heart disease, diabetes, or breast cancer. If you are like me, a pear shaped woman, you tend to gain your weight around your hips, butt and thigh (that explains a whole lot). As far as health issues, pear-shaped women are more susceptible to osteoporosis, varicose veins, cellulite and eating disorders. These women also have a difficult transition through menopause. Well that’s just great! We pears have so much to look forward to — big ole’ hips and night sweats during the day.
Living with your shape
Okay now we know our shapes, now what? In a book entitled, “Apples and Pears: The Body Shape Solution for Weight Loss and Wellness,” Dr. Marie Savard sheds light on how to live with your shape. 
She explains how women can improve their health by learning more about their shapes and how they can feel better about their bodies. Dr. Savard also provides evidence in the book how our body shapes are related to differences in physical chemistry, hormone production and sensitivity, metabolism, and maybe even personality. If you really think about it, all of this makes sense as to why some of us respond well to certain diets than others, and why some exercises are great for you, but not for your friend.
A Few Tips for Your Shape
Some of you may be very aware of what works best for your body shape and for some of you this may be entirely new information. Regardless, here are a few tips provided in Dr. Savard’s book. For additional tips, I suggest you pick up the book.
Apple Tips:
Eat Fiber-Filled Foods: They slow digestion of sugars, lower insulin and cholesterol levels, and lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Do Aerobic Exercise: Thirty minutes daily is the easiest way to lose fat.
Test Blood Sugar and Blood Fats: If these tests are abnormal or even borderline, apples should be concerned and look into ways to remedy and possible protein.
Pear Tips
Eat low-fat foods. Pear-zone fats cells are fat magnets and will continue to store fat the more you consume, making your problem areas even worse, which can lead to poor body image or even eating disorders.
Do resistance training. This type of exercise is great for pears to strengthen their bones.
Get bone density scan tests, particulary as you approach menopause to know your risks for osteoporosis.
Knowing your body and how it ticks is very important as you maintain your health and wellness. Understanding what exercises work best for your body type, what types of foods you should eat more of and knowing your family medical history, all have a profound impact on your health. Understanding how all of these and other factors work together to keep you healthy, is even more important. Whether you are a pear or an apple, embrace your shape with love and make it work for you. As I have said before, we are all a work in progress, whether it’s mentally or physically. That is why me and my pear hips are going to keep running up and down flights of stairs…because we still have some work to do!
