How To Understand Your Body Type And Improve Your Wellbeing
Are we all the same? I think we all know the obvious answer is NO. We are all different and therefore the only way to really find our Health & Well-Being is by identifying what is right for YOU.
In the 1940s William H. Sheldon, PhD, MD, introduced the concept of body types which he called somatotypes. Move forward to today, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and even doctors have used it to help design effective, individualized fitness plans.
The basic concept is that everyone falls, though not altogether neatly, into the three categories. Keep in mind that these are generalizations, and that most of us have characteristics of two or even all three somatotypes, however we are all dominant in one more then the others.
These are; ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.
If you can identify your somatotype, you can use this information to understand what your body needs to function optimally.
In this article we’re going to teach you how to identify your bodytype, the six area’s of your life that influence your health and wellbeing and a few tips for you to implement right now that will move you closer to your optimal.
Identifying Your Body Type
Let’s start by identifying what skeletal frame and body composition you have so we can determine your Body Type.
Ectomorph
Normally slender, long muscles, little fat with a fine skeletal structure and a ruler body or slender, long muscles, thinner legs and calves, low body fat but you can gain weight around the mid-section. You likely find it hard to gain muscle mass and generally have slender ankles and wrists. So although you may be carrying weight if your ankles are slender you are most likely an Ectomorph.
Mesomorph
Generally shorter stature with a naturally athletic lean body. You’ll have moderate muscle and bone mass and have shorter femurs (leg) with a longer trunk or you can often have an athletic body but are more solid and short in height. You’ll have moderate to thick bones with a broad chest and well-formed muscles. You can hold stubborn weight BUT easily remove it if you exercise is regularly. As an example, Crossfit winners are often mesomorphs.
Endomorph
You’ll generally have thicker bones, are on the broad and tall side with a strong and enduring body. You can carry extra weight around the hips and thighs. Or have a strong, stout body with high bone and muscle mass and usually have even weight distribution across the upper and lower body. You have the largest muscle volume of all the somatotypes but also the greatest capacity for fat accumulation.
6 Most important Areas of Well-Being
Is your well being all about exercise and food? Well, that depends on the individual really. For some people yes it does matter, BUT for about 80% of us, there are actually other areas of our lives that need to take priority before Exercise and Food.
Let's look at the 6 areas of your life that can affect your wellbeing. Then we’ll list them from top to bottom for each body type, so you can start applying them to your life TODAY.
Area #1: Social
Are you meeting your social needs? We all require different amounts of social activity - some of us need more time alone than others, some need lots of friends, others need only a couple of close friends or loved ones.
We all have different needs in our relationships and social interactions.
There are even times when we grow out of our relationships - we become interested in different things, we get super busy and just drift apart, or we even move our lives somewhere else in the world.
This can often make our social support network dwindle.
Who you socialize with can have a huge bearing on your Health and Well-Being.
Studies show that your body’s unique hormonal levels and predominating brain activity may reveal a tendency towards introversion or extroversion. Hormones like oxytocin, prolactin and testosterone will influence the ways in which you consider your family relationships, time with colleagues, classes you take, fitness activities you do, even time you spend alone.
Which feel the best for you?
Which need a little tweaking to be more fulfilling?
Are there more ways you can incorporate your inherent social preferences to create a happy, healthy and satisfying lifestyle?
These same hormone levels may also influence our tendency to be trusting, caring, risk-taking, or aggressive, and many other behavioural qualities.
Some people will establish a connection in minutes, others will develop that connection over weeks or months, or even years. It’s not just a preference - it’s actually physiological.
For example, in this situation, making connections quickly may be because your body naturally produces oxytocin easily, which makes you more trusting and open to those happy feelings toward other people.
Area #2 Place
There are specific environments that are going to support your body and others which will negatively affect it.
Think about where you spend most of your time perhaps it’s your home, workplace or even your car!
Your ideal environment even includes the quantity of light exposure and particular environmental temperature that will most support you.
Different bodies are predisposed to react differently to the stimulation of light, which in turn regulates sleep, sexuality, and other hormonal functions.
Each person will also react distinctly to changes in temperature, which can affect the production of various hormones.
For example, people with low levels of melatonin may need more light, making it important that they live in an environment that is dry and sunny.
Individuals who have low levels of water in their bodies may struggle in hot, humid climates that make them even further dehydrated. And people with low blood circulation may find cold, dry climates aggravating to their health.
Understanding more about your body’s environmental needs will improve every arena of your well-being
Area #3 Genius/Talents
More than anything, we all long for a sense of purpose—a way to express the uniqueness of our individuality in the world.
This doesn’t mean that we all have to chase after our childhood dreams of being movie stars, astronauts, basketball players, and presidents.
However what it does mean is that we can learn how to tap into the talents we inherently have, and exercise them on a daily basis.
Within a complex system of neurotransmitters, hormones, and epigenetic factors that contribute to and inform your natural talents. How?
Your physical measurements may indicate hormonal status and neurotransmitter function—such as noradrenaline (which affects planning and taking action) and prolactin (which affects patience, tolerance, and care for others).
Understanding the levels of these hormones will let you know the kinds of activities that your unique body is naturally oriented towards.
For example, people with high levels of testosterone may thrive in jobs that require manual labour. Someone with naturally high levels of prolactin may be more inclined to do jobs that allow you to care for others. If your body is inclined to low dopamine, you may have difficulty taking on leadership positions.
Area #4 Fitness
Physical fitness is a key component to health. Humans are not meant to be sedentary but we’re also each best suited to certain types and amounts of physical exercise.
Even Hippocrates, who is often referred to as the father of Western medicine, understood in 400 B.C. that, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
Every group of people and society throughout history has developed a unique style of fitness that is distinctly suited to that ethnicity’s physical composition and environment.
The Greeks, with their muscular build, wrestled. The Polynesians, with their flexible bodies, practised hula dance. Many of the Kalenjin people of Kenya, with their long, lean limbs, are some of the world’s best runners.
Who your ancestors are and the environment in which you live can determine a lot about the kind of exercise that will most benefit your body—inside and out.
Area #5 Mind
Your mind can be both your greatest ally and your worst enemy, all depending on how well you are able to understand and balance your brain’s processes.
Out of balance, your mind can wreak havoc on your productivity, memory, and well- being. In balance, your brain can
motivate you towards realizing your greatest dreams.
Most people find that the biggest barrier to following a diet, fitness, or lifestyle program isn’t eliminating foods or following new workouts, but staying motivated.
Motivation can be influenced by a number of factors, including the release of hormones like dopamine, which can be triggered by a number of lifestyle components.
There is an ancient saying: ‘Stress is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are.’
Area #6 Food
The key to eating healthy is getting it right for your body, right now. The ancient medical practices of the East and West (Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese, and Hippocratic medicine) all introduced dietary changes as a strategic component of restoring wellness.
Today we can do the same. Assessing for every individual, two people with distinct genetic blueprints may react entirely differently to a wide host of foods, from red meats to coffee to garlic and your body will require different things as the season’s change, as you age and even as you go about dealing with the stressors of everyday life.
Enjoy getting to know your new foods and how they feel in your body - follow your personalized insights and reap the rewards!
Optimal Health & Well-Being for your BODY TYPE
Each Body Type is different therefore the way we prioritise the 6 Areas of Wellbeing changes between the BODY TYPES.
Does the order matter?? Absolutely it does.
Some Body types require support and family, while either body types are independent and prefer their own company. It doesn't make one better than the other it just is.
So the order in which you should work on your Fitness Health and well being should be followed in the order prescribed for each of the 3 Body types.
Ectomorph = Mind -> Place -> Talents -> Social -> Fitness -> Food
Mesomorph = Fitness -> Food -> Mind -> Social -> Place -> Talents
Endomorph = Social -> Place -> Fitness -> Talents -> Food -> Mind
Tips to action TODAY.
Ectomorphs
MIND Create order and Organise your day on a list, tick them off as you go. This will help dial down your senses so you can reduce excessive stress.
PLACE Alone time is vital for you. Run a bath or try a Float fix A space that is warm and quiet is top of your list for well-being.
TALENTS Make a list of 5 of your natural talents, What do you do well? Put this list on your fridge so it's visible to you on the daily.
SOCIAL When with like minded people try the 5 WHYS. Expanding your thoughts and sharing them with others is what will engage your mind and make social time beneficial for you.
FITNESS Exercise for you needs to engage the mind, So yoga, dancing, surfing work well for you. Try meditation or stretching 3 times a week for 30 mins. The key for you is to stay engaged in what you're doing instead of letting your mind wander to other tasks.
FOOD You need to eat 4-5 smaller meals during the day. Food needs to be warm and well cooked to digest. Eating little and often works well for you.
Mesomorphs
FITNESS You need to move. So training twice a day 6 days a week is possible for you. Light walk or jog in the morning (30-50 mins) and then a more intense session in the afternoon 30-60 mins). The type of exercise does not matter for you. It could be weight training, cardio work. Your body is built to handle it and NEEDS IT.
FOOD You require a lot of food for energy. 3 Square meals every day, dinner being the biggest meal, with a large portion of protein. Snacks in between lunch and dinner will keep your energy levels high throughout the day. An active body like yours needs food for fuel.
MIND Moving your body helps your body remove stress. To clear your mind find an exercise you enjoy, (Weight training, Walking, Jogging) and perform it for 45 mins. The more intense the better to relieve stress.
SOCIAL You're strong, independent and can at times be very head strong. Incorporate 3 mins of deep breathing everyday. (find link to app for deep breathing). And think of a stress free family member. You don't have to be right all of the time
PLACE Find your own private space at home and block out 10 mins every day to be there. It needs plants, essential oils, sunlight, less clutter the better. You move hard so you need to reciprocate and rest hard
TALENTS Challenge yourself daily with the Stuff quiz. Try to beat your score three days in a row.
Endomorphs
SOCIAL Think of a friend family member you haven't heard from in ages. Make a call to that personTODAY. Reconnect with that person and don't try to fix any problems that come up JUST LISTEN. This is your spinach popeye, watch this lift you up
PLACE Spend 30 mins in nature each day.. Bush walks or along the lake side, beach, even in a park if you're urban bound.
FITNESS You must do 30-40 mins of light aerobic (heart rate of 60% of your max) exercise 3-4 times a week. This will promote circulation of toxins and maintain good health.
TALENTS Map out a plan for the next year of where you want to be in either your career, life, or training. Set 3 goals to ensure your plan is achieved. Write them down and place them on your phone as a screensaver.
FOOD If you ever follow a diet, intermittent fasting is for you. You have the biggest body of all the body types so missing a meal will not hurt. Juices and soups help with your digestive system. Also reducing sugar or eliminating sugar will go a long way to helping if trying to lose weight. Remember if it's GREEN it's good for you.
MIND It's important for you to have contact with others. Nurturing and supporting others is what actually calms your mind. Ensure you make time for each of your family members. 5-10 mins of alone time everyday with each family member will support your mind. You just need to LISTEN.