What's the best exercise
for your body type?
Step aerobics is cardiovascular
exercise |
Is there really an exercise for your body
type that's best? Current articles about body type and exercise
claim that there are indeed specific exercises for different
body types that are better than others.
What is body type anyway? It's simply
a description of any kind of human body shape using general
body descriptors: slim, fat, tall, petite, wide-shouldered,
pear shaped, etc. There are fancy Latin names for these
but we don't need to go there!
The idea that there is a certain exercise
for your body type that is better than other types
of exercise is a bunch of baloney. Body types, like tall
and skinny or soft and curvy or broad shoulders and skinny
hips, are simply categories of human body shapes. Body types
are helpful to know when you want to choose clothes that
look good, but that's as far as it goes.
All body types need a combination
of the four main types of exercise. These four types each
help different functions of the body to work more efficiently.
Actually, if you read some of these articles
closely, they merely suggest that one form of cardiovascular
exercise, like walking, is better for a certain body type
and that some different form of cardiovascular exercise,
like bicycling, is better for a different body type. Hello??
There are all kinds of cardiovascular exercise but they
all help the body the same way!
Our body type is determined genetically,
Sorry, but you can't change it through exercise or diet.
If you have a curvy figure or a tall and thin figure, that's
what you have! Of course, losing weight and inches if you
need to, toning your muscles, and getting healthier will
contribute to looking and feeling better by far, but you're
not going to alter your body type.
As explained in the article on the different
types of exercise,
our bodies need all types to enjoy good health and fitness.
Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, lungs and
circulatory system, which is needed to bring oxygen and
nutrients to every cell, tissue and organ in the body.
Resistance training, also
called strength training helps strengthen muscles
and build strong bones |
Strength training (also called resistance
training) tones and strengthens our muscles and keeps our
bones strong as well. This is the type of exercise that
most assists in weight/inch loss as well. (See the article
on ways to increase
metabolism.)
There are also exercises that improve
flexibility by increasing the range of motion of our joints
(think stretching) and exercise that improves balance and
coordination.
So what is the best exercise for
your body type? Well, as mentioned above, for optimum
health and fitness, you need a blend of all types. However,
the exercise that you actually engage in and enjoy the most
is obviously the best!
Don't waste your time figuring out your
body type and exercise that "goes with it." All
you need to know is that your body requires regular physical
activity and exercise to enjoy health and fitness. Finding
exercise for your body type using this simple guideline
makes it a lot easier!
Cheers!
Return
to Health Related Fitness from Exercise for your body type
[Return
to the top of the page]
