Summertime is a great time to be outside going to the beaches, boardwalks and water parks. It's also a great time to be around people in bathing suits, bikinis, swim shirts and other various swim fashions (or lack of fashion). If you ever want to get up close and personal to many people with little to no clothing, try going to a water park and waiting in line on the stairs for a ride on one of the slides. I recently had the opportunity with my family at a water park. It made me think of the various body types. The ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph.
We all know that many people are overweight or more precisely, over their ideal body weight. We all could tighten and tone up our bodies. Even fitness trainers like me need to watch our daily behaviors, especially with eating. I have the body type that can easily gain muscle and fat weight. Maybe you do also. If you do, then I know you have a friend or family member that doesn't have this problem. It seems like they can eat whatever they want and not gain weight.
Your friend that can eat whatever they want is the ectomorph body type. They have a small delicate frame, they're thin, find it hard to gain weight and have a fast metabolism (they can burn up calories quickly). They need short and intense workouts focusing on large muscle groups to build the muscle and maintain an ideal body weight.
I'm the mesomorph body type. I'm athletic, strong and have a large bone structure. I can gain muscle easily with strength workouts. I can also gain fat more easily than the ectomorph. This is why I have to be careful with my food consumption or calorie intake. I need to combine strengthening exercises with cardio (aerobic) exercises to maintain my ideal body weight.
The endomorph body type is usually a short and stocky build with a round shape. This person can gain muscle and fat very easily and they have a slow metabolism. To maintain an ideal body weight, the endomorph must always train the cardio (aerobic) along with the strengthening exercises.
So it's easy to see that every body type has its challenges. We all have the challenge of building and maintaining the needed muscle mass to protect our bones and joints.
Be happy with your body type. Choose to eat well, sleep well and exercise.
Here's to your good health.
About the author: Jonathan Souder is the fitness director at Manor House, an ACTS Retirement-Life Community in Seaford. Email your thoughts to jsouder@actslife.org.
