Pear (or spoon or triangle) body shapes are one of the top 5 most common body shapes in women of all ages. Pear body shapes, just like their name suggests, resemble the shape of a pear--the upper part of the body and particularly the shoulders and chest is narrow while the middle to lower part of the body and especially the buttocks area is wider. Lower belly, buttocks and upper thighs are typically the top areas where a pear-shaped woman accumulates fat.

Therefore, a good diet and exercise program should target these areas to make the figure appear more slender and balanced. The bad news is that it takes plenty of effort, patience, and energy to achieve your fitness goals if you are pear-shaped but the good news is that you can definitely get there if you stick to a proper diet or exercise program.

Here is what you need to consider to shape up and tone your “less favorable” areas lice buttons and upper thighs:

Follow a diet that is low in processed fat. Processed fats and especially trans fats found in junk food e.g commercial burgers and pizzas are one of the biggest causes of fat in the buttocks and thigh areas. Some fats, however, may actually be beneficial for your health and bodyline and these include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna), avocadoes, olive oil, coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and almonds. Try to avoid any processed products labeled as “light” or low fat as these often contain extra amounts of salt and additives to compensate for their lack of taste and texture and may actually increase bloating in the area.

Take calcium and Vitamin D supplements. Pear shapes, according to several relevant studies have a tendency to develop bone density problems more frequently compared to other body types, due to the insufficient amount of androgens in the system that are necessary for bone formation. It would, therefore, be beneficial to take adequate amounts of bone-boosting nutrients like calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D either through your diet (dairy products and fish) or through supplements. Just make sure you take these nutrients from natural and preferably organic sources so you don’t get any unwanted and unhealthy ingredients without realising it.

Perform more cardio exercises. Due to the fact that women with pear body shapes tend to have a slower metabolism, which makes weight loss extra challenging, performing cardio exercises is the fastest and most efficient way to lose weight in the buttocks and upper thigh areas. These exercises include cycling, jogging, running on an elliptical machine, rowing, swimming, and aqua aerobics. A good frequency and duration, to begin with, is doing 15-20 minutes of at least two cardio exercises 3X a week, and then proceed with more special exercises.

Perform some lower body exercises. After doing some cardio workouts, you should aim at toning the problematic lower parts of your body with special exercises. Some great exercises that tone up the lower muscles and help stop extra fat from piling up in these spots are squats, bridges, box step-ups, side planks and deadlifts. If you can perform these with small weights (up to 5 kg) distributed equally to the sides of your body, results will be even more pronounced and will show up faster. For starters, 3 sets of 15 reps for each exercise is enough, performed at least two times a week.

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