Hello ladies!
After asking you all on Facebook if you were interested in me doing a series of blog posts dedicated to health and fitness for the different body shapes, I received a huge response saying yes, so here it is! I decided to start the series off by discussing the pear shape, as I usually do. Now, if you don't have this shape, don't think you can't read and learn from this post! Chances are a family member or friend has this shape and you should send them this link or share the info you learn to help them meet their health and fitness needs!
Have you ever wondered WHY you are a pear shape? Think about it, we all have these different body types, but have we ever thought of the reason, if any, behind those shapes? Well, there is a reason you are a pear; you are estrogen dominant! Without getting too descriptive scientifically, the ovaries which are located right around your pelvic area, which is closest to your hips, thighs, and butt, are reproducing a lot of estrogen, way more than needed. Since they're reproducing too much, the ovaries are "dumping" them out and they then find their way to the hips, thigh, and butt areas (since they're closest to the ovaries), causing more fat storage within those areas.
One of the most common experiences for this shape is: moderate to intense cramping during PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), heavy periods, and cystic breasts (breasts more inclined to developing fibroid tumors-I myself have had one and my mother has had/has a lot-PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING YOUR MONTHLY BREAST EXAMS!!!)
Now that I gave you a brief description as to WHY you are a pear shape, let me list and explain the foods that you need to include in your diet to optimize you health and balance out those estrogen hormones:
1. Eat foods that are HIGH in protein, such as:
a. Lean meat protein (chicken breasts and fish)
i. Eat ONLY organic free ranged chicken breasts not treated with hormones! If it does NOT say those words on the package, DO NOT EAT IT! Nowadays,
companies are injecting chickens with hormones to make them bigger, which will provide more meat per chicken, cutting down costs on their ends.
Those hormones, when ingested, will attach themselves or mimic those estrogen hormones we have in our bodies, causing more fat and cellulite gain,
as well as imbalances to our hormones, which can open up a plethora of problems, such as tumors and chronic fatigue, to name a few.
ii. You can eat other meats, like beef or turkey, but again make sure that they say that they have not been injected with any hormones! I do suggest
to try and limit your beef intake, since red meat is not necessarily the best for your overall health. But in moderation, it's definitely okay!
2. Eat foods that are HIGH in complex carbohydrates. These foods are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are essential to eliminating waste and
toxins from our body, examples of these are:
a. Beans
i. Including lentils
b. Whole grain breads, rice & cereals
i. I suggest the brand Kashi for cereals, but make sure the box says Non-Gmo ingredients
*Non-Gmo means that the ingredients have not been genetically modified or changed. Again, just like I mentioned how hormones are being
injected into meat, the same is true in fruits and veggies to make them larger and the color more vibrant. This is why sometimes you see
fruits and veggies in the supermarket that look extremely huge and not normal, it because they're NOT normal! That's why I'd again, suggest
purchasing organic fruits and veggies or from a local farmer's market, since they generally don't use GMOs; they don't have the pressure from
these big companies to produce a certain standard or image of fruit and veggies. Yes, that's right, just like we have the ideal image in
Hollywood, we now have it in our foods!
ii. For oatmeal, I suggest the brand Old Wessex Ltd.'s All-Natural 100% Whole Grain 5 Grain Cereal, which should be available in your local
supermarket chain (stop & shop, Food Emporium, etc.) in the health food aisle
iii. For bread, I suggest the brands, Food for Life and Ezekiel Bread. You MUST keep these breads frozen to maintain all of the natural benefits
from the whole grain ingredients.
iv. I suggest brown rice or wild rice, instead of plain white rice, since they have a lot more nutrients. I suggest the Rice Select Royal Blend, it has
a nice mixture of all of those rices.
c. Green veggies
i. Brussel sprouts, broccoli, kale, and zucchini.
* The first 3 are a power house for helping to reduce cellulite, as a result of maintaining the needed amount of estrogen!
3. Eat fruits HIGH in fiber
a. These fruits help with digestion and in eliminating toxins and waste from the body!
i. Apples, prunes, mangos, and pears
4. Eat antioxidant rich fruits, which are great for the skin and in reducing the appearance of cellulite!
i. These fruits are rich in vitamins C or E, which help eliminate cell damaging free radicals from the body (which contribute to cellulite)
a. Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, black plums, and dark grapes
5. Eat foods HIGH in GOOD FAT!
i. Yes, there is such a thing as GOOD fat, lol! These are rich in Omega-3s, Polysaturated, and Monosaturated fats (look on the label on your foods and
you'll see the last two listed next to it's content). These help you maintain a healthy weight for your hight & control mood swings (EAT THESE DURING
PMS-YOUR MAN WILL THANK YOU!!!!)
a. Avocados
b. Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and cashews)
c. Cold, non-pressed or refined GMO free extra virgin oils (olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and coconut oils)
* DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT COOK WITH OLIVE OIL ON HIGH HEAT! WHEN IT HITS A HIGH TEMP, IT TURNS FROM GOOD CHOLESTEROL TO BAD
CHOLESTEROL, CAUSING HEART PROBLEMS! USE THIS FOR SAUTÉING ONLY AND USE THE CANOLA, PEANUT, OR COCONUT OILS FOR MEATS!
d. Fish (salmon, tuna, and sardines)
6. Lastly, eat dairy that has not been treated with hormones. It will usually say no rBST and/or rBGH
a. Yogurt
i. I suggest the Liberté Yogurt perfection brand, which I know for sure is available at Mrs. Greens
ii. Chobani Greek Yogurt does NOT offer this!
b. Milk
i. Cow's milk (1-2% and whole- where the fat has not been removed)
ii. Almond (I HIGHLY SUGGEST THE SILK BRAND)
iii. Coconut (I HIGHLY SUGGEST THE SILK BRAND)
iv. DO NOT DRINK SOY MILK, EVER! Soy is a low grade protein and can cause tumors to develop and become cancerous!
Vitamins & Supplements:
I always suggest consuming protein shakes to help optimize your workout results, especially if you're weight training! DO NOT CONSUME ANY PROTEIN THAT HAS SOY AS AN INGREDIENT! Remember, it's pre-cancerous causing and is a low quality protein!
1. Protein powders
a. I HIGHLY suggest the Vega Sport performance protein in their recover option. They also offer pre-work out and work out drinks, if you enjoy those as
well.
i. They contain NO dairy, gluten, soy, or additional sugars!
b. Multivitamins
i. These are essential because no matter how much we try, we don't always get in our daily needed intake of fruits and veggies. Multivitamins help
fill in any missing holes and help increase our overall vitality!
* I suggest the brand Alive!, which you can find at your local supermarket or New Chapter's Every Woman Multivitamin sold in health food stores
c. Consume a vitamin D3 supplement
i. I suggest starting off with 1000IU then gradually work your way up to 5000IU. This supplement is great for your bone health and supports a
healthy immune system, as well as helps in preventing various cancers.
a. Everyone in my house takes this supplement, including my 12 year old step-daughter (she takes 1000IU). She was born anemic and would get
sick VERY easily and now, she probably catches a cold once a year, as do my husband and I, which lasts like a day!
d. Green Superfood
i. If you find that you just can't always cook with the veggies you need OR your spouse and family members have a different body shape, which prevents
them from tolerating certain fruits and veggies (you'll learn in the series that each shape has different health needs), you can use the organic fruit
and veggie powder and mix it into a smoothie or water and you'll have your needed amount for the day. Plus, it's cheaper than purchasing all organic
fruits and veggies so often ;)
NOW FOR THE FITNESS:
1. Cardio
a. You want to include cardio in your fitness routine, especially if your goal is to lose some weight. When I first started hitting the gym, I would do 20
minutes on the treadmill on an increased incline and squeeze my butt with each step. It helped me burn a lot of the extra fat I had around my lower
areas and once I dropped the amount I wanted, I decreased the amount of cardio I was doing weekly, since I no longer wanted to lose weight, but
tone.
i. AVOID the elliptical!
* I've read many research reports that have stated that the elliptical provided little to no substantial effect on one's muscle and definition
development and the benefits were the same to that of walking around in the mall (who agrees that's way more fun?!)
ii. The treadmill
* I suggest walking or jogging on the treadmill on a slight incline to start for about 20 minutes (of course consult your physician to ensure that
you're physically capable of doing this)
iii. The stair-master
* This machine will do wonders for your booty! What I like to do is with each step, I kick backwards while squeezing my butt with the opposite leg
iv. Bike riding
* This is another exercise that's great for your legs, especially those calves! To get the most out of this workout for your tush and legs, try
standing and leaning slightly forward while peddling
v. Walking/running outdoors
* If you don't have a gym membership or are not interested and prefer to outdoors, walking and/or running is also great. If you are able to walk
to where you need or want to go, do it! What I like to do is park my car further from the entrance to the supermarket or shopping malls, forcing me
to choose health over connivence ;)
** You heard me mention the use of ankle weights in one of my recent videos (watch here). They make a world of a difference in any fitness
routine and can be added while walking, running, or playing sports to increase the difficulty and engage all your lower body muscles at once!
2. Weight training- I can't get over the amount of times I've heard women tell me that they do not want to work out with weights because they're afraid that
they'll get big and bulky. Guys, do I look big and bulky?! I'm sure you'll answer no and guess what? I lift or squat HEAVY weights! I can carry and squat
my husband and daughter at once around the house. You may find it hard to believe, but I can! I have a tremendous amount of lower body strength, due
to weight training, yet have toned and sculpted womanly looking legs. Now, there are so many different lower body exercises you can do, I'll list some of
my favs, as well as some of the ladies I follow in Instagram and do their workouts.
Since you gain most of your weight in your lower body, you mainly need to concentrate on burning fat in and around those areas, which cardio and
weight training do. To balance out your hips with your upper body, you also want to tone and define your arms and shoulders.
Leg Workouts (ALL DONE USING MY ANKLE WEIGHTS) 3 SETS of about 10-20 reps (depending on what you can do, yet with a challenge):
1. Squats (using free weights, "dumbbells" as well as the smith machine at the gym)
2. Walking lunges
3. In place lunges
4. Hip adductor and abductor machine
5. The glute machine
6. Russian deadlifts
7. One leg deadlifts
8. Leg press
9. Calf raise
Arm & Shoulder workouts:
1. Dumbbell curls
2. Triceps pushdown with a rope attachment
3. Decline EZ bar triceps extension
4. Chair dips
5. Shoulder cycles
6. Overhead tricep extensions
The last thing I want to mention is that you must be drinking plenty of water to help flush out toxins and regulate your blood flow. Try to reduce the amount of sugary drinks and sodas and eventually, you should try to eliminate them completely from your diet, since they have NO BENEFIT to your heath, I don't care if it's "diet"...yea right! How do you know how much water is enough? Well, simply multiply your current weight by 2/3 (or .67=67%) and the number you get is the amount of oz you should be drinking daily.
I hope you ladies found this helpful! Don't forget to check back tomorrow to learn some tips for all you apple shapes!
Disclaimer: Please consult your physician before making any significant changes to your diet and work out routine to know if it's best for your specific needs!
XO,
