Are you an apple or a pear?

I'm sure you have heard about body shapes and being compared to an apple or a pear. 

Pears carry their weight mostly in their hips and buns which is considered healthier because the fat is not centralized around organs. 

Apples, on the other hand, tend to carry their weight more in the midsection - around their belly buttons....the ol' spare tire analogy.  Having weight in this area of your body is a significant risk to your health for a couple of reasons.  First, it is occupying the same physical space as your vital organs such as your liver and thus is choking out the organs.  Second, fat in this area is considered "metabolically active" meaning it secretes hormones which changes your blood chemistry - insulin especially (which is the fat storage hormone and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes). 

So, why am I sharing this with you during a walking program?  Because, you guessed it, walking can help trim your waistline.  Check out THIS article.