Is Your Body Shape More Like an Apple than a Pear?

No, this isn’t one of those personality tests! It’s a serious medical issue. It can greatly impact our health if we tend to put on weight in the middle.  

Usually, when we put on a few pounds it might get stored just below the surface of our skin in the subcutaneous zone. However, some belly fat can be stored much deeper. It can surround our liver, stomach, and intestines and even build up in our arteries. No wonder this “visceral” fat also has an evil nickname, “active fat,” meaning it can actively increase serious health problems. Health problems we might have thought would never affect us, like heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

How can we tell if we might be at risk? Well, it involves a (non-stretchy) tape measure and getting real. For women, if our waist measurement is above 35 inches (89 cm), we’re in the apple zone. Sorry, my friend. To determine your body fat index, take these measurements and follow my directions below.

Women

Hips: measure where you’re the biggest (including the booty)

Neck: measure below your voice box (round number up)

Waist: measure the smallest circumference in the waist region (round number down)

Men

Neck: Measure right below your voice box (round number up)

Waist: measure at the belly button (round down)

Take these figures, plus your age, weight, and height in centimeters, and plug them into this body fat calculator.

After your calculations, if your waist measurement or body mass index numbers are not where you’d like them to be, it’s time to take matters in-hand.

Here are several suggested lifestyle hacks to help:

Move

Humanity has NEVER been this sedentary. We were not meant to sit for hours on end. We need to incorporate movement, climbing, and stretching into our life. We can develop small habits that reap enormous benefits like:

• Doing 5 minutes of exercise every hour. 
• Starting our day with 30 minutes of treadmill time. 
• Doing stretches every time we get up to use the restroom. 
• Taking the steps instead of the elevator or escalator. 

Since we lose muscle mass as we age, we must take the time to do strength training (I like carrying my Pilates bands with me wherever I go so I can stay in my routine). We must keep pushing ourselves to maintain and build muscle mass to burn more calories.

Switch to a small plate

We don’t need as much food as we think we do! Portion control is essential. If we have meat, we must ensure the piece is no bigger than the palm of our hand. Nutritionists suggest filling the rest of our plates with healthy greens and non-starchy options. 

Skip soda and fast food

Have you considered how many calories you’re about to wolf down in that burger? Many fast-food meals make up more than our daily caloric requirement!

Nutrition

If we eat a clean diet, we can reduce the stress on our body and help it function more efficiently. Opting for a clean diet means choosing organic foods free of chemicals and healthy foods rich in nutrients instead of fast, prepackaged options. (When I prep my food, I batch it to make my own “fast food” by cooking extra and divvying up premade meals in labeled freezer packs.)

Also, supplementation can be beneficial for our metabolisms. For example, if you tend to overeat, try FGF’s Bee Fit (rich in bee pollen) before meals to help curb that tendency. After meals, we can rev up our metabolism while supporting our blood sugar with FGF’s weight loss promotion product-SLIM. Both have been go-to products for many who are “apple-oriented” and with great results. 

I hope your Spring will include positive and healthy change and that these suggestions help you do so! Let’s not make this Spring apple season! 

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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