Sofia Vergara is an excellent example: Women store fat differently than men. And these "fatty bits" have implications far beyond splurging on high-impact sports bras and workout pants that make our butts look amazing. While women's lower centers of gravity and smaller muscle-to-mass ratio makes it harder to bang out pull-ups like the boys, our tendency to store "gluteofemoral fat" (fat in our hips, butts, and thighs) gives us a huge leg up on the men: A 2010 study from Oxford University found that body fat in the thighs and backside, as opposed to storing excess fat around the midsection, helps protect against heart disease and diabetes.
"Don't be concerned about a little (or more than a little) subcutaneous body fat, especially on your lower body," says Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint and a paleo fitness expert. "If you've been trying in vain to lose that stubborn jiggle on your thigh, consider that maybe, just maybe, it's there for a reason. Even if you're not interested in having a child, it's likely that the presence of lower-body fat indicates good health (and the ability to get pregnant)," he says. "The research outlined above suggests that classically feminine patterns of fat deposition are healthier than classically male patterns. And even if you don't like your gluteofemoral fat, rest assured that the males in your life likely do!"
