According to Colorado State University's Nutrition Column, your general body shape may reveal information about your risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Body shape is closely related to your body's natural disposition on where to store fat. People with apple-shaped bodies, for example, may be at increased risk for developing the aforementioned diseases. Pear-shaped people have lower risk for developing the same diseases but may instead have increased risk of developing orthopedic problems and varicose veins because of the extra fat stored below the waist.
Step 1
Take off all of your clothes and stand in front of a full-length mirror. Although you can't always tell your body shape just by looking in a mirror, it may give you a good indication, especially if you can tell where you store the majority of your body fat. Apple body shapes store most fat in the abdomen, near the stomach and chest. Pear body shapes store fat in the hips, thighs and buttocks.
Step 2
Measure around your hips, waist and chest with a flexible measuring tape. You may need a friend's help to do this; it's OK to wear well-fitted underwear when doing these measurements. The hip measurement is done at the widest part of the hips, the waist should be measured at the narrowest portion of your torso, and the chest is measured straight across the widest portion of the bust with arms hanging relaxed at your side.
Step 3
Compare the measurements. If your waist measurement is at least six inches smaller than your hip and chest measurements, you're an hourglass. If you have similar chest and waist measurements but your hips are significantly wider than your chest, you're a pear shape. Straight or ruler shapes have little difference between the three measurements. Apple-shaped bodies have no definitive waist, so the waist measurement is usually similar to the chest measurement, and the hip measurement may actually be smaller than the waist and chest.
Tips and Warnings
- Most medical studies focus on distinguishing between characteristics of pear- and apple-shaped bodies, and the same criteria--where you store your body fat and whether your body is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom or wider in the middle and narrow at the bottom. Women may find the ruler and hourglass shapes useful for buying clothing or developing a fitness plan to emphasize what they feel are the positive aspects of their body shape and minimize potentially negative aspects.
Things You'll Need
- Flexible measuring tape
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