Many people have long recognized the importance of exercise in managing weight.

But in recent years scientists have learned much more about how many roles it plays and just how it provides both physical and psychological benefits.

It’s about the heart

Getting up off the couch can reduce your risks for heart attack and stroke.

These catastrophes typically occur when damaged arteries promote the formation of a clot, which blocks vital blood flow.

(Arteries carry blood to tissues throughout the body, including the heart). Exercise counteracts several factors that contribute to artery disease. It helps lower high blood pressure. (more…)

Even if you don’t know Jared Fogle by name, you’ve probably heard about his unlikely journey to fame. He’s a 6-foot-2-inch guy who credits a fast-food chain with helping him lose more than 245 pounds.

Jared offers a living, breathing testimony to how motivation and a lasting commitment to exercise and healthful eating can make the difference in not only losing weight, but also keeping it off.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever do in my life,” Jared says of his transformation from morbidly obese to his current 190 or so pounds. “But it can be done.

You have to want it badly enough. You can’t depend on your friends or your doctor wanting it for you. It has to come from within you. And you have to be ready to do it.” (more…)

Move over Donald and Rosie — there’s a new celebrity feud in town. When asked if she would continue as a special guest on America’s Next Top Model’s upcoming season, Janice Dickinson, 51, the world’s self-proclaimed first supermodel, says, “Probably not.

I commented on Tyra Banks’ recent weight gain, so she’s mad at me.” But Janice doesn’t seem too upset about being let go. “I have no time for that show.”

Meanwhile, Tyra, 33, is fighting back at the criticism that she’s fat, now weighing 160 pounds after gaining 30 pounds. She even appeared on her talk show on February 1 wearing the swimsuit that sparked the controversy.

Speaking of America’s Next Top Model, they all look gorgeous, but which one of these girls has what it takes to be America’s Next Top Model?

Thanks to In Touch, here are the 13 contestants who will battle it out during the eighth edition of Tyra Banks’ hit reality series, which premieres with a special two-hour episode tonight, February 28, at 8 p.m. on the CW. This year’s international destination will be Sydney, Australia. (more…)

One study has shown that you can lose belly fat or at least increase the rate of “burning” abdominal fat – if you walk about 2 miles per hour for 20 minutes three times a week.

That is nice to know, but when it comes to losing your gut, perhaps the details do not matter.

People who keep a basic food journal lose as much weight as those who record every single bite, report University of Pittsburgh researchers.

In the recent study, scientists found that dieters who simply wrote down the size of each meal (small, medium, large, XL) were just as successful at losing weight as those who tracked the specific foods, calories, and fat they ate. (more…)

Continued from Weight Watchers Diet Review.

Diet Established in 1960, Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a nonprofit support group led by volunteers.

OA urges members to seek professional advice regarding weight loss and meal plans.

Philosophy OA does not promote a particular diet. While it offers emotional and spiritual support, OA encourages its members to seek the help of professionals.

It is founded on the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and its members remain anonymous.

Components The only membership requirement is that a person desire to stop eating compulsively. Each OA group has one primary purpose: to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers. (more…)

Even though he hasn’t been to a gym in years, Matthew McConaughey works out every day. “It definitely makes me feel better when I’m in shape,” says the 32-year-old. “I run, dance, ride, bike or swim.”

Did you gain weight to play coach Jack Lengyel in We Are Marshall?

I was 16 pounds heavier than I am right now. I had a big caboose and a big belly. I didn’t like it. (more…)