Understanding your body type may help inform your eating and exercise habits for “optimal” health.

Everyone has a unique body. What “healthy” looks like for one person, may be different for someone else. A major component of how exercise and diet affect our bodies has to do with our body type.

Currently, research suggests there are three dominant body types, known as somatotypes:

  • ectomorph (long and lean; little body fat or muscle)
  • mesomorph (well-defined muscles; more muscle than body fat)
  • endomorph (curvy; greater body fat than muscle)

Although more research is still needed to understand the different body type categories and their influence on outcomes of diet and exercise choices made, getting a general sense of which body type you fall into, can help you understand how to adjust your eating and exercise habits for optimal results.

Take the quiz to find out if you are more of an ectomorph, a mesomorph, or an endomorph, and what that may mean for you and achieving your health goals.