Eat and Exercise the Right Way for Your Type

If you're an ectomorph and struggling to put some meat on your bones, you probably wouldn’t be here… so we’ll make this brief… your first move would be to first see a doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions. Then, "take a good look at your diet."

If you only eat three times a day, "try aiming for five or six meals." For snacks and meals, choose nutrient- and calorie-dense foods like nuts, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, and starchy vegetables, rather than lower-cal choices like fresh fruits and popcorn. Don't skimp on fat, either - make sure that 30% of your calories come from fat.

As for exercise, ectomorphs should keep cardio or aerobic training to a minimum while concentrating on muscle-building moves with fairly heavy weights.

If you're an endomorph, avoid crash dieting. It will only make your body cling to its fat reserves. Instead, adjust your diet so you're eating more frequent, smaller meals, no more than 5 hours apart. Try to eat slowly, and drink plenty of water. Eat lean proteins and high-fiber foods to help you feel full longer. And don't be fooled by the fat-free fad -- you need a little fat to stay healthy. If you are following a Ketogenic lifestyle, you will eat more healthy fats to increase weight loss.

Endomorphs should do at least 30 minutes of moderately-paced aerobic activity five days a week. Try walking, jogging, bicycling, dancing, or any other activity that gets your heart pumping. When the pounds start coming off, add weight training two or three times a week to tone and strengthen your muscles. Adding more muscle helps you burn extra calories all day long.

Genetically fortunate’ or mesomorphs may have an easier time than most staying slim and fit, but this can be a double-edged sword, as they have a tendency to assume that they can handle an extra helping of dessert or a hiatus from the gym. But the same rules for health and well-being apply to them as to everyone else. Osteoporosis, heart disease, and other diet- and lifestyle-related diseases can affect anyone, regardless of body type, so judge yourself accordingly.

Following these guidelines will definitely help, but you have to work with what you have. Improvement is always possible. You can't totally remodel, you can't totally redesign what you've been given, but with knowledge, guidance and experience, you can balance things out.