Bella Adams
Do you have an apple body shape? It’s very easy to find out: the apple body shape is characterized by thin, beautiful legs, narrow hips, a slender waist, and large breasts.
The waist-to-hip ratio of this body shape will be higher than 0.8. To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, stand up straight (don’t pull in your stomach): measure your waist – 2.5 cm above your belly button. Then measure your hips, the widest part of your body.
Then divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. If the result is 0.8 or lower, you have a pear-shaped body. If the ratio is higher than 0.8, then you have an apple body shape.
You should know that if you have an apple body shape (android body type in medical terms), then your body has an increased amount of androgens, which are usually male hormones. Excess adipose tissue is mostly stored deep in the body inside and around your chest, back, and waist (as opposed to a pear-shaped body, which stores excess fat just under the skin, and mostly around the hips).
In people with an apple body shape, a large amount of visceral fat surrounds their internal organs: heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines.
This creates many serious health risks. These include hormonal disorders and reduced metabolism. That is why it is so difficult to lose weight for those with this body shape. You need to know that visceral (internal) fat is much more harmful than subcutaneous fat… The more abdominal fat you have (the higher your waist-to-hip ratio will be), the higher your risk of getting
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Cardiovascular problems (heart disease, high blood pressure, even stroke).
- High levels of stress.
- Increased number of inflammatory processes in the body
- Certain types of cancer: such as breast cancer and endometrial cancer.
Even more. Some doctors insist that abdominal fat also affects respiratory function – especially during sleep, causing shortness of breath:
- shortness of breath.
- pulmonary hypertension.
- heart rhythm disturbances.
Therefore, if you have an apple body shape, it is better to start losing weight according to the principle: the sooner the better… and this is primarily related to your health, not your appearance.
Useful nutrition tips for women with an apple body type
Good news for you: unlike women with a pear-shaped bodies, it’s easier for you to lose weight 🙂 This is because when you start losing weight, the body first of all gets rid of visceral fat.
As a result, your waistline will start to shrink first, followed by all other parts of your body. And this is all almost immediately after switching to the right apple diet for your body type.
In addition, if you have a sufficient amount of complex carbohydrates in your diet (along with omega-3 fats), it increases the effectiveness of weight loss and reduces the manifestations of severe stress, anxiety, irritability, and depression. The bottom line is this: eating “good” carbohydrates (complex carbohydrates) makes you happier, calmer, and more relaxed.
Briefly about the ideal diet for body shape apple:
- 50% complex carbohydrates.
- 30% high-quality proteins.
- 20% healthy fats (cold-pressed olive oil and flaxseed oil for salads).
- Additional supplements with fiber, omega-3, and multivitamins.
Exercise for the apple body type
You need to exercise every day or almost every day. This is crucial for your particular female body shape. Do strength training regularly (especially resistance exercises). And at least 45 minutes of cardio (aerobic exercise) – three times a week. Each type of exercise should have 1 day off per week.
For faster weight loss and reduction of visceral fat, do cardio per day (brisk walking can be included).On days when you do both types of training, do cardio after strength training. If you’re like most people with an apple body shape, you probably lack the motivation to exercise, right? Or, you feel like you never have enough time. You feel like you don’t have time to do it all the time and that you’re bored with developing a workout system on your own. If this is your case, consider that membership in a sports club or training center is just for you.
The main thing is to know your body’s personality and needs and meet them properly. You will definitely succeed!
