Am I an Endomorph, Ectomorph, or Mesomorph?

If you are looking for information about Apples and Pears - read the article about Body Shape.

Every person has unique genetic traits. Every piece of advice you receive regarding weight loss must be applied against your knowledge of your own constitution, metabolism, and genetic makeup.

The study of somatyping classifies body types into 3 main groups - ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph (the suffix morph comes from Greek morphos, and means form, shape, or structure). Of course, it is rare to find a person whose body type falls completely into one of these groups. Most of us share a mix of these genetic traits.

The Mesomorph

The mesomorph is the person we all love to hate - and are secretly jealous of. They have the following characteristics:

- Naturally muscular
- Naturally lean
- Broad shoulders
- Lose fat easily
- Gain muscle and strength easily
- Efficient and fast-burning metabolism

These people are generally gifted bodybuilders and athletes. If you found your way to this web site, the chances are you are not predominantly mesomorph.

The Endomorph

This body type stores fat very easily, and finds it hard to lose the fat. An endomorph often has a sluggish metabolism, and must be particularly careful with their diet. Here are some common characteristics of the endomorph body type:

- Tend to be naturally overweight
- Gain fat easily
- Find it difficult to lose the fat
- Larger around the waist
- Possibly sensitive to carbohydrates (particularly processed and refined carbs)
- Slow metabolism
- Body shape is more rounded or pear shaped
- Often has reasonable strength levels

If you are predominantly endomorphic - you will probably find that diet alone (i.e. diet without exercise) will not be enough to bring down your weight levels. Because you have a slow metabolic rate, it must be boosted with aerobic exercise and weight training.

You will probably need to be careful with carbohydrate consumption (and we are not saying here that carbs are the "enemy"). The traditional American Heart Association recommendations may not be the best thing, as they are typically high in carbohydrates. A balanced lower carb diet such as the Zone diet or South Beach Diet may be best. See our editors Top 5 diet plans for weight loss.

Although it seems like the hardest thing to do - good aerobic exercise in the morning will be very helpful. Unfortunately it seems like a cruel genetic "roll of the dice", that means endomorphs must work so much harder to keep the fat off.

The Ectomorph

Ectomorphs are naturally lean and thin. They seem to eat all sorts of unhealthy foods, and yet stay slim. However endomorphs are also low in muscular strength, and find it difficult to gain muscle. Here are the common characteristics on an ectomorph:

- Fast metabolism
- Naturally thin or wiry
- Find it hard to gain weight
- Naturally lower in strength levels
- Often high energy levels, and tend to be overactive.

Ectomorphs can get fat! Fat Loss for the Ectomorph is a different undertaking to other body types. Read this post at Diet-Blog.

Can you change your body type?

This is a difficult question. Most body types are genetic traits - they are the way we were born, and genes don't change. However many other things do change with age - such as metabolism and hormonal activity. Many people often find that as they get older they can tend to get more "endomorphic" in nature. It gets harder to lose fat (particularly around the stomach or waist), and eating unhealthy foods seems to pack the weight on more easily than it did when younger.

As a general rule, metabolism slows down as we get older (the "middle age spread"). Unfortunately most of us slow down our activity levels too - which can in turn worsen our metabolism even more. This can be rectified by maintaining cardio and weight training right into old age.

Best Ways to Hydrate

Hydration is one of those nutrition topics that is often overlooked but it so important and critical to our overall health! A majority of our bodies are comprised of water so it is extremely important to remain hydrated throughout the day, especially considering your activity level. Water loss during exercise can eventually lead to a decrease in performance. If you workout often or in extreme heat, the amount of water you need each day is going to increase!

The number one choice for hydration is water. Try to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. Another way to figure how much water to drink is to aim to drink 1mL per calorie consumed per day (1800 calories a day would equal 1.8L).

We often mistake our thirst for hunger and rather than drinking the water we need, we eat something! Be aware of this! When you start to feel hungry drink some water and wait 5 minutes... Still hungry? My biggest piece of advice is to drink before you feel thirsty. Don't get to that point of excessive thirst and dehydration - drink water all day long to avoid it!

Some other Paleo options for drinks:

- Coconut Water: This is an excellent choice for replenishing electrolyte sources post workout. Be cautious of the flavored coconut waters, if aiming for weight loss. They tend to have fruit juice added and therefore more sugar

- Coffee: You do not need to cut out coffee on Paleo! Just make sure you skip the cream and sugar. If you must, you can always add in coconut milk, or heavy cream if you are okay with dairy.

- Tea: Any kind of unsweetened tea is Paleo. Again make sure it is unsweetened and do not add in sugar.

- Almond milk/Coconut milk: Make sure to check the labels for these. While some are 100% Paleo others have additives in them that aren't. If you are not super strict it is okay to have the non-Paleo ones occasionally.

- Fruit Juice: While this is Paleo, if nothing is added, it is not your best option. Fruit juice is extremely high in sugar and concentrated so ...

it is often pretty caloric. Think of it like this:  you would drink a cup of apple juice easily in one sitting but you wouldn't necessarily eat three apples in one sitting. If you are aiming for weight loss, cut out fruit juice. The fruit also gets stripped of its fiber when it is juiced. There are better options.


- Avoid: Sodas, even diet, coffee drinks with anything other than coffee, alcohol (tequila and vodka made from grapes are technically Paleo but still limit), milk, juices with anything other than fruit


Tips to Drink more Water: 
Add Ice...it helps me drink more


Add in frozen berries as ice


Mix in a splash of fruit juice


Add chia seeds and lemon to your water


Unsweetened iced decaf tea can count towards your water intake (the lack of caffeine is the reason why)
Here are some good drink recipes... (remember these are not replacements for water!)


Coffee: 
 I drink my coffee with just a little unsweetened vanilla almond breeze


Get creative with flavoring....top with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, add in flavored stevia (NuNaturals Stevia has some really great flavors), a drop of coconut oil (a great source of lauric acid and good for hair and skin), or a drop of honey


Blended Iced Coffee: In a blender add in coffee, ice, and 1/4 cup almond breeze unsweetened vanilla, sprinkle in cinnamon and 10 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia...blend and enjoy!








Tea: 
Add a little unsweetened almond breeze or coconut milk to a cup of tea!


Make your own iced tea! Steep a tea bag in ~1/4 cup boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then add in cold water and ice


Smoothies: 
Chocolate Cherry Almond: chocolate whey, 10 drops NuNaturals cocoa bean extract, ½ cup water, ½ cup ice, ½ cup frozen dark sweet cherries, ¼ - ½ tsp. almond extract


Tripleberry: Scoop of vanilla whey, 1/2 cup frozen spinach, 1/2 cup mixed berries, water




Mint Chocolate: Scoop of chocolate whey, ice, water, and 10 drops peppermint NuNaturals NuStevia


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: Scoop of chocolate whey, ice, water, and tbs. of peanut butter or almond butter


Strawberry, Orange, Vanilla: 5 frozen strawberries, 10-15 drops NuNaturals orange NuStevia, scoop of vanilla whey, 1 cup water or unsweetened vanilla almond breeze








 Coffee Banana:Scoop vanilla whey, 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk, Splash of my black iced coffee, 1/2 banana, Sprinkle of cinnamon, 1/2 c. ice


Chocolate and Vanilla Milkshake: Cup of Chocolate Zico, Scoop of vanilla whey protein, cup of ice.








Any tips for drinking more water? What's your favorite smoothie? 


For recipes and tips check out my blog at Clean Food Creative Fitness


diet.com

Why Do I Need to Lift Weights?

One of the most important aspects of any flat stomach workout - that many women miss - is weight lifting.

Unfortunately, weight lifting for women comes with many negative connotations that have discouraged women from spending time in the weight room. Instead, many women spend their hours on the treadmill, wondering why they still haven't reached their flat stomach goals.




Weight lifting is an important tool that women need to use in order to effectively lose weight. There are many benefits to lifting weights, that have been hidden by the stereotypes and rumors caused by many less knowledgeable and lazy people in the world. This, plus a lack of knowledge by women has caused many women to shy away from the weight room - a room filled with so many benefits!

What are the benefits?

First of all, when women lift weights they will not get bulky – it is near impossible. Why? Women do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to produce that large amount of muscle mass like men have. Without high levels of testosterone women will never be able to produce large, bulky, masculine looking muscles. Instead, weight lifting (heavy or light weights) helps to increase your metabolism, therefore burning larger amounts fat and helping you get stronger. The more muscle mass you have on your body the more fat you burn, even when you're not working out.



Second, weight lifting has been proven to help prevent injuries (instead of causing them, like many believe) and some diseases. Lifting weights increases bone density – therefore decreasing the chances of osteoporosis as we get older. Since lifting weights helps to burn more fat, we then decrease our chances of heart disease, diabetes, while lowering our cholesterol. In regards to injury, when we strengthen our muscles, we also strengthen the connective tissue between our muscles – strengthening our joints and preventing injury to our joints.

Regardless of all the benefits many women don't lift weights because they are not sure what exercises they are supposed to do. This is a silly excuse. There are so many resources available to you to help you figure out what workout routine is most effective – look online, check out the various workout channels on YouTube, or if you prefer "live" help, hire a personal trainer at your gym to guide you through an effective workout. Diet.com has many resources to help you reach your fitness goals. Look under the Fitness tab in the top navigation.

Women need to add weight lifting to their daily workouts in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reach their flat stomach goals.

Melissa Wall is a Women's Ab Expert and founder of WomensAbWorkout.com

Staying Active On Vacation: Here's How You Do It

Everyone needs a holiday from the pressures and routines of "normal" life. But does heading off for a holiday mean taking a break from regular exercise too?

The dilemma: how to balance the need to "get away from it all" with the desire to "stay on track" with your physical fitness goals.

Taking a vacation isn't just a pleasant way to spend time: research has suggested that taking frequent vacations is good for your health.

But if you're traveling somewhere for more than a few days, what do you do about exercise? Do you try to keep up your usual routine, or do you abandon your workouts for a tropical drink and a lounge chair by the pool?

If it's a short trip, you may just want to relax and unwind. But if you're going to be gone more than a few days, you may find yourself getting stressed and grumpy if you do nothing but lounge around.

Depending on your goals, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Choose your Destination Carefully

There are so many factors to consider when picking a vacation spot (price, weather, entertainment, accessibility) that it's easy to forget to factor in fitness-friendly concerns. Don't wait until you arrive somewhere to realize that it's scorching hot; there are no gyms, bike paths, swimmable beaches or hiking trails. Think ahead about the sort of activities you like to do and don't just assume that all destinations will have "something."
2. Set Realistic Expectations

On the other hand, if you go into a vacation with over-ambitious plans or a punitive attitude, you may find yourself obsessing about your exercise plans instead of relaxing and recharging. Vacations come all too seldom, and conditions are often somewhat unpredictable. Cut yourself some slack and try to stay active in fun ways without stressing too much.
3. Bring the Right Stuff

One way to create an excuse not to exercise is to "forget" to bring the proper shoes or clothing or equipment or to skip it in the name of packing light. Why not keep your options open and toss in your gear, even if you're thinking you may not want to use it? You may feel more energetic than you anticipated, and it's worth a little extra luggage to be able to hit the trail or spinning class or tennis court away from home.
4. Take Advantage of Unique Opportunities

Sure, you could go to an exotic destination and spend your time exercising in the hotel fitness center... but don't let inertia or fear of the unknown keep you from trying something new. Rent a bike or a kayak or some snorkel gear; ask around about nearby hikes or runs or bike trails. Or go out dancing at a local joint and shake your groove thang! Your vacation experience will be richer and your workout less of a chore if you take the plunge and to try something new.
5. Be Alert to Safety Concerns

Exercising in unfamiliar areas might require a little extra caution--find out if there's anything to worry about in terms of weather, dangerous traffic, aggressive wildlife, poisonous insects, crime, erupting volcanoes, quicksand, or hostile ghosts or spirits. (Paranoid? Who me?) And be sure to let someone know where you're headed off to and when you expect to be back.
6. Walk and Bike All Over the Place

Whether your destination is a bustling city or a secluded and scenic national park, see as much of it as you can on foot or by bicycle. Sure, sometimes the only practical means of transportation is a bus or taxi or train, but there's no better way to appreciate new sights, smells, sounds, and experiences like being outdoors in the middle of things.

I'm sure I've missed a lot of great ideas. How do you keep physically active on vacation, or do you prefer to flop down on a towel and wait until you get back home?

The Holiday Diet: Maintaining Weight Over Summer

Summer is at its height (well in the northern hemisphere anyway)...

If you've been dieting for weeks or months to get in shape for your holiday, how can you ensure you don't undo all your hard work in just a week or two? Can you stick to healthy habits and still enjoy yourself?

Definitely! Here's my top six tips for having a brilliant, healthy holiday.

1. Plenty of water

When you're traveling, make sure you have bottled water with you for the journey. If you're going somewhere hot - even if it's just the beach - be sure to stay hydrated. Even if it's a cool day, you'll need extra water if you're walking or hiking.

(And, of course, be very careful about drinking tap water when you're abroad. If you're at all unsure, buy bottled water or boil the tap water first.)

2. Get active

One of the best things about being on holiday is the chance to do something new. Wherever you're going, there's bound to be new activities to try - it might be horse-riding, rock-climbing, ski-ing, sailing, wind-surfing...

If you're feeling less adventurous, how about walking? Whether you're going for a picnic in the countryside, or sight-seeing in a major city, getting there on foot guarantees seeing some interesting things along the way.

3. Five a day

It's tempting to let healthy eating slide when you're on holiday, but keeping your fruit and veg intake up helps. Find a nearby supermarket and grab some pieces of fruit - take them with you when you're out and about, and you'll always have a healthy snack to hand. When eating out, order a side salad with your meal.

4. Ask about portion sizes

Some restaurant dishes might easily be big enough for two; other places expect you to order tapas-style and have several dishes each. Ask how big the portions are - or try ordering less to begin with, then have an extra course if you're still hungry.

Don't be afraid to request something a little different: here in the UK, guesthouses usually offer a "full English" breakfast (typically sausage, bacon, toast, egg, mushrooms, beans, tomato) but will happily provide a lighter option, such as scrambled eggs on toast, if you ask.

5. Plan ahead

When you know you'll be stuck on a plane or train for hours, or if you're going to be out all day, make sure you have some healthy snacks to hand. Granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit and nuts, small boxes of fruit juice and even a bit of dark chocolate are all easily-portable options.

6. Eat for the right reasons

Don't eat food that you don't want just because it's there, or because you've paid for it. Airplane lines in particular may serve you more than you want (especially when you're sitting down for eight or ten hours straight, rather than keeping active). The price of the food compared to the price of your flight is minuscule; leave anything you don't want, and consider taking your own snacks on board.

Try to eat just when you're hungry - or when you're enjoying something as a special treat.

If you try to keep to the guidelines above, you'll be keeping up your healthy habits whilst away - and you won't return home to a nasty shock on the scales. But don't fret over putting on a pound or two; it'll come off almost instantly once you return to your usual routine, so enjoy your holiday!

See also: How to stay active during the holidays.

3 Day Diet

The 3 Day Diet is one of the most popular short-term fad diets around today. Many people adopt the diet to try and achieve short-term weight loss. However, unfortunately most people simply gain the weight back on again.

The 3 Day Diet is simply a low calorie diet (as can be seen by the meal plan). There is nothing magical - no mystical chemical reaction that goes on (as some seem to think). Weight loss is due to a sudden drop in calories - some of this may be fat - but most will be from water loss.

Negative Calorie Diet

The concept of a food with negative calories seems like a joke. Many fad diets are about foods with ‘magical’ properties, and many offer only very temporary weight loss solutions - and who can maintain a monotonous diet of only one or two foods?

There are no foods with a negative calorie value. However it can be possible to obtain a ‘negative’ calorie effect.
Negative Calorie Effect

Fibrous complex carbohydrates are generally good for us. The American Heart Association recommends that 55% of our daily calories should come from complex carbohydrates. Fiber (in the correct amounts) is good for the digestive process, helping food to be processed and eliminated efficiently (it keeps us running smoothly!) - and can prevent gastro-intestinal ailments.

What is a fibrous complex carbohydrate? Green vegetables.

Green vegetables are low in calories. You can eat a lot of them without getting fat - yet at the same time the fibrous content can ‘fill you up’. There are some green vegetables in particular that are very low in calories.

Every food requires some energy in order to digest it (called the thermic effect of food). Some green vegetables may actually have some of their calories burnt up just to digest them. This is the "negative calorie" process.
Example Green Vegetables

* Asparagus
* Broccoli
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Zucchini (courgette)

Proponents of the Negative Calorie Diet suggest that eating a stick of celery (5 calories) will burn up 95 calories.

This is pure speculation and lacks scientific basis.
Weight Loss From Negative Calorie Diet

It is likely that all weight loss on the Negative Calorie Diet comes simply from consuming low calories. It is very unlikely that any diet consisting of a certain group of foods will have any ‘magical’ properties.

Fibrous vegetables are filling, very nutritious yet low in calories - any diet consisting of large portions of vegetables will aid in weight loss.