Do you have the perfect body?

A rectangular Kiera Knightly

AOL Health reported Sunday that hourglass figures are out and the rectangle shape is in. According to the news source, figures like Keira Knightly and Gwenyth Paltrow, with similar waist, hip, and bust measurements are "physically stronger, more competitive and better able to withstand stress than other women due to higher levels of testosterone and stress-managing cortisol, both of which can cause weight gain in the abdomen." Women with apple shaped bodies, who typically gain weight in the midsection, carry a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes because of the dangerous visceral fat that is stored in the abdomen near vital organs. Pear shaped women on the other hand, who store fat in the hips and thighs, have a higher risk of osteoporosis, according to the report.

AOL Health provides instructions for determining if you have a pear, apple, hourglass or rectangle shaped physique. First measure your waist and then the widest part of your hips. Then divide the first number by the second. A result of .8 or less indicates a pear shaped body while a measurement of over .8 would mean that you are an apple. Hourglass figures have similar bust and hip measurements that are higher than the waist measurement and rectangles have bust, hip, and waist measurements that are almost the same.

Although the report suggests that in terms of the health consequences you can't fool mother nature, the key to making pears, hourglasses and apples look more rectangular lies with exercise, particularly weights. Genetics will determine where your body naturally stores fat and your bone structure ultimately shapes your frame, but careful weight training and regular cardiovascular exercise can wittle away fat in wider areas and build mass where the body is narrow, tricking the eye and giving any body shape a more rectangular appearance. For pear shaped frames, consider focusing weight lifting activities on the large muscles in the chest, back and shoulders. These activities will help to balance a wider lower body with a sculpted strong torso. Apple shaped women will benefit from longer cardiovascular activities which will burn midsection fat, and weight lifting activities to sculpt the glutes and thighs which tend to be lean in apples and can emphasize a larger abdomen.