• Health

5 New Rules for Good Health

1 minute read
A new year means new resolutions — or old ones. For most of us, one of our New Year's goals probably involves dusting off that gym membership card and getting more active in 2011. As we all know, exercise, in combination with a healthy diet, plays a critical role in keeping our hearts healthy and our bodies slim. Of course, that won't happen overnight. The latest study on exercise and weight, conducted by researchers at Northwestern University, found that the trick to keeping excess weight off during middle-age was to maintain a consistent regimen of regular physical activity — at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity like running each week, as recommended by government health officials — starting in youth. The most active people in the study gained less weight over a 20-year period than those who remained sedentary or exercised only sporadically. (Women take note — exercise was more effective in holding off middle-age creep among female volunteers than among the men.) But how do these results line up with those of previous studies that have failed to document significant weight loss among regularly active folks? Many of those studies focused on weight loss, rather than preventing weight gain, say the authors. Plus, those surveys followed volunteers for relatively short periods of time, even though losing weight through exercise can take much longer — a year or more. Next: Early Blood Tests to Predict Disease? SPECIAL REPORT: See Healthland's Full Guide to Life in 2011Getty Images
By TIME Staff

Health news is always changing — and fast. Here are five new rules for good health that you need to know for the new year.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com