Are you a chili pepper, an apple, or a pear? Everyone has a different body type -- there are the long, lean, narrow-all-over "chili peppers," the round-in-the-middle apples, or the bigger-on-the-bottom pears (the most common body type, by the way). Fitness magazine tells you how to eat best for your body type.

Chili pepper. Chili peppers have a straight and narrow shape without much delineation between their waists, hips, and shoulders. When a chili pepper gains weight, it tends to go to the middle -- beware: Belly fat increases the risk for heart disease and other health conditions. The best diet for a chili pepper incorporates healthy fats such as olive oil, fish, and nuts as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables. Strength training can help build muscle and create more curves.

Apple. Apples tend to carry weight around their middles, but the lower body is leaner. Apples are more prone to having high blood sugar, so a diet with healthy fats and minimal carbs is recommended. When you do choose carbs, make sure they're fiber-rich options -- like whole grains, fruits, and veggies.

Pear. Pears tend to be heaviest in the hips, thighs, and butt. To shed those stubborn pounds, choose a diet that's lower in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates.

Read the full article at Fitness magazine for more details about each body type and learn why different nutrition choices, meal plans, and workout routines are recommended.

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Autumn's cooler weather may be starting to chill the air, but don't let it put a freeze on your fitness and nutrition habits. Enjoy the best autumn has to offer, healthfully.

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If you've got a little cush in your tush and are thinking about dropping a few pounds, you might not want to go too lean, because U.S. researchers announced yesterday that a type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may offer some protection against diabetes.

Subcutaneous fat -- the type that collects just under the skin -- seems to help improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar. We're not talking visceral fat -- the kind that collects in the abdomen and can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It's the fat that deposits down lower that appears to shelter some people from metabolic disease.

So, not all fat is bad fat. Celebrate that pear-shape if you have one, then. And consider yourself lucky.

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The notion of all women being an apple or a pear shape is a bit outdated, don't you think? So how many body type are there? 12 according to Brit style experts Trinny and Susannah, there are 12 body types (to see them in pictures, click here):

• Apple: Round all over
• Hourglass: Round on top and bottom, with a tiny waist
• Skittle (American translation: Bowling pin): Small on torso, big in the thighs
• Vase: Like an hourglass but stretched out
• Cornet: Top-heavy, but bottom-thin.
• Lollipop: Big bosom, long legs.
  
• Column: Tall and thin
• Bell: Small on top but quite large on the bottom
• Goblet: Heavy and square in the torso, with long, thin legs.
  
• Cello: Big shoulders and bosom, with even an even larger bottom
• Pear: A small bosom, with the majority of the weight in the hips, stomach and thighs
• Brick: Square, heavy and solid all over.
  

What shape are you? Even though there's all these choice, I still think I'm a pear -- small on top, but carrying a bit of extra weight in the hips, thighs and lower abdomen.

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While a lot of stars have bodies that the rest of us can only dream about, they're not all cut from the same cloth. Female celebrities have different body shapes just like the rest of us -- I guess they just know how to work with what they've got.

This set of pictures divides some of today's most famous stars -- with the most-envied bodies -- into three shape categories: The pear, the hour glass and the ruler. According to the text, pear-shaped women are smaller on top (breasts and shoulders) and larger through the bum and thighs. Examples given include Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom are known for their "bootylicious" butts.

Considered by many to be an "ideal" female body shape, women with an hour glass figure tend to have larger breasts and hips with a small waist. Often recognized for their sexy curves, Scarlett Johansson and Salma Hayek fit into this category. Often envied by those of us who wish we could eat ice cream and chocolate without putting on weight, women boasting a ruler shape are long and lean. Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley both sport this body type.

So where do you fit in? Which celeb's body most closely resembles yours?

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Our weekly feature, Recipe Rehab, takes a recipe -- sometimes basic, sometimes decadent and sometimes just plain unhealthy -- and turns it into a scrumptious and healthy dish, pumped up with nutrition. Sometimes all it takes is a few alterations to prepare a dish that would make even your nutritionist proud.

In my house, the holidays aren't complete without the arrival of a box of Harry and David's famous gold foil-wrapped pears from a good friend of mine. It's her signature gift and I'm more than happy to be the lucky recipient of this juicy, crispy fruit. If pears find a way to your holiday fruit basket, how about featuring them in a holiday salad? This elegant recipe is a festive switch from your standard garden variety greens and is perfect for entertaining. But take heed, most typical pear salads are heavy on the fat -- oil-based dressing, pecans, blue cheese -- but this Recipe Rehab is a perfect example of how simply reducing the amount of some high fat ingredients can still produce a dish that rivals the original in flavor.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups arugula
2 heads Boston lettuce (about 4 cups)
3 bosc pears, cored, diced
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese