Shape

Shape is the cumulative product of our skeletal structure (build) and the quantity and distribution of muscle and fat on our bodies. There are and have been wide differences as to what should be considered an ideal or preferred body shape, both for attractiveness and health reasons. These have varied between cultures and at different times. As with most physical traits, there is a wide range of normality of body shapes. Human beings and their cultures have perennially focused attention on the body as a source of aesthetic pleasure, sexual attraction, fertility and reproductive appeal. Although we can not change our actual original shape we can enhance it and take it closer to the shape that we really would be happy with, both through exercise and nutritional decisions.