My big brother was born an ectomorph. No, he's not into insects. It's one of the three basic body types. You know — ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. They’re otherwise known as skinny folks, stocky sorts and cuddly rounders.

Although he, like me, was born of two stocky sorts, my brother is a throwback to our paternal grandfather — another lean, long drink of water who lived into his 90s despite eating Lil’ Smokeys and smoking a pipe the whole way.

Vinney (which isn't his name but what I call him nonetheless because he calls me that too because — well, nevermind) has always been skinny. Always. From 6 months old to his current 60 years, my 6-foot-3 brother has never had to worry about extra tonnage. (He has perfectly straight teeth, too, but that's an envy story for another day.)

A natural grazer with a moderate sweet tooth, his eating habits are pretty good. He doesn’t smoke. Only drinks the occasional brewski. Yes, he enjoys a pepperoni pizza and mocha java ice cream on a fairly regular basis. But most of his mini-meals include some whole grains, leafy greens and/or fresh fruit. And they’re usually evenly spaced throughout the day.

He’s even pretty active. A single dad who dotes on his boy, Vinney has spent many hours shooting hoops, tossing Frisbees and regularly engaging in other manly bonding endeavors.

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So it was a big shock to hear he was having health issues — elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart palpitations. The doctor gave Vinney some medicine and ordered him to exercise daily, reduce the stress and adhere to a low- fat diet.

Stress? Vinney? He’s always been one cool cat. My sibling plays blues on his bass guitar while watching the gulls soaring above a certain Puget Sound bay.

I am the stress-monster, the jock-gone-zaftig whose guitar sits gathering dust under her bed. But I have great vitals. My blood pressure is great. My good cholesterol is off the charts. How did Mr. LeanJeans end up with this mess?

Then I remembered the flip side of gene envy. Things aren't always what they seem on the outside. Sometimes a person’s insides have their own tale to tell.

Both our parental units have minor blood pressure and heart health issues. While Vinney drew our grandfather's lanky long- shanks ace, he also was dealt a pair of our folks' less-desirable dueces.

He called recently just to talk. He'd been reading health stuff on the Internet. Some of it was scary, he said. He’d tossed the ice cream, but was having trouble finding palatable sources of lean protein.

"I’m afraid to eat fish now, Vinney," he said. "Sounds like I might as well just drink my #(*#'#(*$ thermometer."

So I gave him some tips on mercury-safe(r) fish sources — salmon, flounder, cod, catfish and trout.

"Try Alaskan salmon," I said. "It's really great poached with ginger and lemon. Or grilled."

He listened to my fears of turning to a congealed mass of blubber. He gave me tips on overcoming my persistent exercise inertia — while revealing his own struggles. You don't have to like it. Just do it. Even for a bit.

"In the beginning, I had to make myself get on my exercise bike. I remember just staring at that sucker some days," he said.

Those days he told himself "I'll just do it for five minutes," he says.

Now he swears he looks forward to his daily spin. Makes him feel better.

Yakking about diet and exercise wins and woes is a new conversational gambit for us. But I have to say it warmed the cockles of my stocky little heart.

As we go through life, our genetics keep on dealing and revealing our wild cards — for good and for bad. He's a dozen years older. Time will tell if I drew this particular joker too. But healthy lifestyle choices do help. And it's nice to know we're all in the same game.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.