Your Body Shape and Fat Distribution

by Mandy Gibbons

Have you ever heard your friends or family members say: "I have got mom's thighs and butt", or "I have got dad's belly" etc? Genetics does play a part in fat distribution but there are also other factors involved as well such as gender and race etc. I want to go through a few areas with you briefly to offer you a greater understanding of "fat, it's distribution and the way it effects our health and fitness.

Gender and Body Shape
The android shape is more common among men where the gynoid is more common among women that are (pre-menopausal). Recently, when watching the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, I noticed that the body shapes of the athletes differed from country to country. Normally I wouldn't take much notice of this but with so many people from so many countries gathering in the one place I thought I might use this to do "some" research - that is in between yelling "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi!" I think it is truly amazing how the environment, genetics and various other factors can affect our body shapes.

What Each "Shape" Represents
The android tends to store body fat around the tummy and upper body. The gynoid shape is known for fat storage around the hips, bottom and upper thighs. The Ovoid is more of a all-over general coverage of bodyfat.The andriod type storage of body fat is considered to be more harmfull.

Visceral Fat
This type of fat tends to store around the internal organs of the body. It is more common in people suffering from obesity than someone who has a low percentage of body fat, however genetics may also have some affect on it as well. As you can imagine, this type of fat storage is of great concern. Large amounts of body fat around the abdominal area is more commonly listed for visceral fat.

Manually Measure Your Body Fat Distribution
Now don't go freaking out if you measure in the "definite risk". This table is to give an idea of fat distribution and how it relates to health risks. However the best thing to do if you are concerned is to visit your doctor. The following measurements are in cms. Use a tape measure to record your waist circumference where your naval is located.