Fitness should be routine, not resolution - UPI

The secret to keeping to an exercise plan throughout the year is for fitness to become a routine rather than just another resolution, a U.S. expert advised.

Colleen Greene, wellness coordinator at the University of Michigan Health System's health promotion division, said exercise must become part of a long-term regular routine rather than be thought of as a short-term solution.

"The No. 1 New Year's resolution people have is to lose weight and it is really not that difficult," Greene said in a statement. "But many expect it to be done overnight and they lose their motivation when that doesn't happen."...

Organize your way out of stress - CNN

Story Highlights

• Clutter in one's home environment is stressful
  
• Long-term stress can lead to health problems
  
• Tackle clutter by focusing only on the area two feet around you
  

Diabetes Group Backs Low-Carb Diets - Medline Plus

For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has come out in support of low-carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes who want to manage their weight.

The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.

The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management....

41 percent of road deaths alcohol-related - UPI

The Michigan Food and Beverage Association reminded party-goers about 18,000 people died in U.S. alcohol-related crashes in 2006 -- so don't drink and drive.

Proprietors of taverns, restaurants, party stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in Michigan are emphasizing "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" and that party-goers should be responsible, the association said.

"This campaign is a community service of our industry," Ed Deeb, MFBA president, said in a statement. "Our members and industry want to save lives and give their customers a happy and safe holiday season. The holidays are a time for family get-togethers, bright lights and parties. It should not be a time of tragedy and sadness because of a drunken driver."...

The Claim: Calories From Alcohol Go to Your Midsection - NYT

The phenomenon is known by many names — spare tire, beer belly, beer gut. But do calories from alcohol congregate at the midsection at a greater rate than others? That is not so clear.

In general, drinking causes weight gain primarily because alcohol slows the body’s ability to burn fat for energy, not to mention that it increases appetite. The effects of alcohol on the midsection are complicated, but studies show pretty clearly that beer, wine and spirits have a greater effect on belly fat in adults who drink sporadically than in people who drink regularly but in small amounts....

Eight Ways To Kickstart Your Fitness Routine - Forbes

If you've sworn this month to get in shape, you can skip the humdrum of the treadmill and instead pick up a toboggan.

That's because sports like sledding and snowshoeing are among the season's hottest fitness trends. Also getting the couch-bound outdoors: Lightweight, breathable and flexible clothing, versatile sporting gear and ski areas with something for everyone, including spas, adult yoga classes and terrain park lessons for teens....

5 Easy Ways to Lose Weight and Improve Your Health - WebMD

Almost as soon as the Times Square ball drops and the confetti is thrown, many of us start making resolutions to improve our health and our lives. Then, within a few weeks, our resolve often fades -- and we go back to our old, bad habits. But what if, instead of trying to make sweeping changes, we resolved only to tackle a few easy ways to lose weight and boost health?

The health and weight loss resolutions that stand the best chance of lasting are the ones that call for minor, doable changes, experts say.

"The key is to take small, positive steps and move ahead consistently," says Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, a nutrition professor at Penn State University. "People need to be realistic about the changes they can achieve."...

A new year, a new you - MSNBC

If you’re like most of us, you’ve been indulging in too many high-fat, high-calorie treats for the last few months and are suffering from a holiday diet hangover. But the New Year is the perfect time to put your less-than perfect eating habits behind you. Fortunately, eating well doesn’t have to equal denial and deprivation. Try these 7 strategies to help boost your nutrient intake, feel more energized and enjoy a healthier body weight in 2008 and beyond....

Should you go the extra mile? - MSNBC

Can you get too much cardio? Is there an ideal amount of exercise for losing weight? And are you ever too old to shape up? ...

Healthy Mondays give a new start each week - UPI

U.S. network of businesses, advocacy groups and academic institutions concerned with health are starting the Healthy Monday Movement.

The New York-based initiative led by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health wants U.S. residents to think of each Monday as a day to focus on getting healthy and another opportunity to renew and fulfill those resolutions made at the start of the new year.

The goal of the Healthy Mondays is to cut the rate of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes....

Food Pyramid for Older Adults Gets an Update - Medline Plus

To correspond with the new U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid (MyPyramid), Tufts University researchers have updated the content and appearance of their food guide pyramid for older adults.

The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults still emphasizes nutrient-dense foods and the importance of fluid balance but now provides more guidance about the types of foods that best meet the unique needs of older adults and places added emphasis on physical activity.

"Adults over the age of 70 have unique dietary needs," first author Alice H. Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, said in a prepared statement....

Getting nutty is heart-healthy - UPI

Nuts are a big part of holiday eating, but a U.S. dietician says nuts can be a regular treat if they are substituted for less heart-healthy foods.

JoAnn Carson, a clinical nutritionist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, points out nuts are a good-tasting, cholesterol-lowering and fiber-filled food. But on the downside many nuts are also high calorie. The solution, is not to add nuts to the diet, but substitute them for other high-calorie foods, Carson says....

Fish Oil Prevents Alzheimer's Plaques - WebMD

Why does fish oil help prevent Alzheimer's disease? Your brain needs a fish oil fatty acid to make a plaque-fighting protein, UCLA researchers find.

It's known that people who get plenty of DHA, a fish oil fatty acid, have a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, note Greg M. Cole, PhD, associate director of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and colleagues.

Why? Cole's team had a clue. People with Alzheimer's disease tend to have low levels of a brain protein called LR11 (also known as SorLA). And about 15% of people with Alzheimer's disease carry a genetic mutation that reduces LR11....

Honey making a medical comeback - MSNBC

Amid growing concern over drug-resistant superbugs and nonhealing wounds that endanger diabetes patients, nature's original antibiotic — honey — is making a comeback.

More than 4,000 years after Egyptians began applying honey to wounds, Derma Sciences Inc., a New Jersey company that makes medicated and other advanced wound care products, began selling the first honey-based dressing this fall after it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration....

GOT YOUR GAME PLAN FOR ’08

Every year millions of Americans make a New Year’s resolution to shape up. But for many, those good intentions are gone by the time they plop on the couch for the Super Bowl....

Survey: Financial fitness trumps physical - UPI

Sixty-seven percent of U.S. adults say they want to become more financially fit compared to 57 percent committed to becoming physically fit in the new year.

Of the 1,002 U.S. adults surveyed for Countrywide Bank, 32 percent believe financial fitness is more important than physical fitness, compared to 21 percent who think getting fit is more important.

Respondents were also asked which type of fitness was harder to achieve. Respondents agreed those seeking either fitness need consistent and disciplined behaviors....

7 great medical myths revealed - MSNBC

Reading in dim light won’t damage your eyes, you don’t need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs won’t make the hair grow back faster.

These well-worn theories are among seven “medical myths” exposed in a paper published on Friday in the British Medical Journal, which traditionally carries light-hearted features in its Christmas edition....

Patients upfront about exercising - UPI

Questionnaires can help reveal whether patients are motivated to exercise to help improve their health, an Australian study has found.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, asked 255 patients being tested for probable obstructed sleep apnea, or OSA, to fill out a questionnaire to assess their intention to exercise.

"You'd expect that folks with no contemplation of exercise would exercise less, and we found that was the case," lead study author Simon Smith of the University of Queensland in Brisbane said in a statement. "Our study shows that a proportion of patients are prepared to increase their exercise, and we think that they should be better supported to do this."

Is fat the new normal? - MSNBC

Is fat the new normal?

A study published in the July issue of Economic Inquiry raises that question. With roughly two-thirds of the American population overweight or obese, have our cultural ideals of what we consider “normal weight” changed? ...

Extra Weight, Extra Sick Days - WebMD

In most jobs -- for women much more than for men -- obese employees take up to five more sick days each year.

The survey found that 54% of women and 40% of men called in sick to work at least once during the past year. Of those who took sick days, the average woman missed 2.2 days of work and the average man missed 1.75 days...

San Francisco’s Mayor Proposes Fee on Sales of Sugary Soft Drink - NYT

In a move he says is necessary to trim the city’s waistline, the decidedly slim mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, has proposed charging big stores a fee when they sell sugar-sweet soda.

The proposal, which was reported by The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday, would put an as yet-to-be-defined surcharge on all drinks with high-fructose corn syrup, which puts the sweet pop in most nondiet sodas and many other food products. The syrup also puts on the pounds, something city officials say strains the health care system....

No. 1 Book, and It Offers Solutions - NYT

Dr. Wennberg and some colleagues then did a survey, interviewing 4,000 people around the state, to see whether different patterns of illness could explain the variations in medical care. They couldn’t. The children of Morrisville weren’t suffering from an epidemic of tonsillitis. Instead, they happened to live in a place where a small group of doctors — just five of them — had decided to be aggressive about removing tonsils.

But here was the stunner: Vermonters who lived in towns with more aggressive care weren’t healthier. They were just getting more health care...

Businesses For Baby Boomers

Wellness coaching is another boomer-friendly option. Wellness coaches guide people through some of their tougher challenges, from dropping weight to quitting smoking. Typical rate: $100 per hour. Coaches with corporate experience can boost rates to $300 an hour by adding "executive coaching" to their repertoires.

That's Charles Schroeder's plan. After nearly three decades in the nuclear power utility industry, Schroeder found that woodworking and riding Harleys wasn’t enough. So he spent $1,000 on a 10-week online course about navigating issues as diverse as weight loss to recovering from an injury.... (and more in pictures)

What time you take blood pressure pills matters - MSNBC

Taking a blood pressure pill at bedtime instead of in the morning might be healthier for some high-risk people.

New research suggests that simple switch may normalize patterns of blood pressure in patients at extra risk from the twin epidemics of heart and kidney disease.

Why? When it comes to blood pressure, you want to be a dipper. In healthy people, blood pressure dips at night, by 10 to 20 percent. Scientists don't know why, but suspect the drop gives arteries a little rest....

Reindeer May Not Fly, But Chicken Soup Really Could Help - WSJ

‘Tis the season of flying reindeer and other myths, so it’s only appropriate that the British Medical Journal published an investigation in its Christmas issue of some widely held medical truisms that it turns out don’t hold water....

'Do-it-yourself cardiac bypass advised - UPI

A U.S. newsletter advises that anyone can have a "do-it-yourself cardiac bypass surgery" because all you need is a pair of walking shoes.

The Harvard Heart Letter advises people to give themselves a natural bypass before having a surgeon perform a more painful and hazardous one...

Exercise stimulates the growth of collateral blood vessels and these vessels "can ease chest pain -- angina, limit heart attack damage, improve survival, and perhaps even offer extra time for emergency therapy in the case of a heart attack," the newsletter said.

Moderate exercise cuts metabolic syndrome - UPI

Even a modest amount of brisk walking weekly can cut the risk of metabolic syndrome, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes, a U.S. study found.

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said an estimated one-quarter of all U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including: large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low amounts of HDL, or "good" cholesterol and high blood sugar. To be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, patients must have at least three of the five risk factors...

Chest Compressions Effective in Emergency Cardiac Arrest - Medline Plus

Chest compressions alone (without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) may be as effective as standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth) when bystanders come to the aid of people who've suffered cardiac arrest.

That's the conclusion of two studies published in the Dec. 11 issue of the journal Circulation.

A Swedish study that looked at 11,275 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over 15 years found that one-month survival rates were similar for patients who received standard CPR (30 compressions for every two breaths) or chest compressions alone (CC-CPR) from bystanders -- 7.2 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.

"If you hesitate to do CPR, remember that chest compressions only is better than doing nothing," study author Katarina Bohm said in a prepared statement....

How to be happy again - MSNBC

Each year, approximately 2.5 million people in this country die, leaving behind an average of five close bereaved friends and family members. Yet how people heal from the death of a loved one has remained largely unexamined since the most well-known book on the subject, Elisabeth KŸbler-Ross's On Death and Dying (Scribner), was published in 1969.

KŸbler-Ross's theories continue to shape the way many experts believe grieving typically progresses, in five separate, successive stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance....

Monthly fasting may protect heart - CNN

Story Highlights

Study: People who fasted monthly 40 percent less likely to have clogged arteries

Researchers: Small Utah study not proof but poses theory worth more study

Mormons' lower rate of heart disease prompted the study...

Drugs help cut U.S. cholesterol average to ideal - MSNBC

Americans may be too fat, but at least their cholesterol is low. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the average cholesterol level for U.S. adults is in the ideal range, the government reported Wednesday.

Results from a national survey that included blood tests found the total average cholesterol level dropped to 199 last year. Experts consider 200 and lower to be ideal....

Review shows smoking linked to diabetes - UPI

Swiss researcher says a review of studies links smoking with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Carole Willi of the University of Lausanne led a systemic review and meta-analysis of 25 studies -- encompassing a total of 1.2 million participants -- that shows active smokers have a 44 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-smokers.

Further analysis suggests a dose-response relationship between smoking and diabetes, with an increased risk of 61 percent for those who smoke 20 or more cigarettes/day. The association also is weaker for former smokers....

Healthy gifts can ease stress, improve fitness - CNN

Story Highlights

Consider giving a healthy gift that focuses on stress reduction, exercise, nutrition

Nutritionist weighs clients, measures body fat, creates diet plan

Trainer says "motivational experience" can jump-start a couch potato

Real-World Fitness May Cut Stroke Risk - WebMD

Maybe you're not in tip-top shape. But even a humble level of physical fitness may help you avoid a stroke.

New research shows that men and women over 40 who can climb stairs, carry groceries, kneel, bend, and lift may be 50% less likely to suffer a stroke than those who can't do those things.

That news, published in Neurology, comes from a study of some 13,600 adults in the U.K.

The study started in 1993. Back then, participants were 40-79 years old; none had a history of stroke, heart attack, or cancer....

Pass the Purell: It's hip to be germ-free - MSNBC

They pull their sleeves down over their hands to open doors, surreptitiously sanitize while on buses, subways and airplanes. At the gym, they towel off their elliptical trainers like car detailers in search of a $100 tip. At work, they’re ready to break out the Clorox the minute somebody coughs.

Who are these incredibly sterile souls? They’re the citizens of a germ-conscious segment of the country you might call hand-sanitation nation.

“I notice more and more women in the bathroom using paper towels to open and close the door, or dashing out behind somebody else so they don’t have to touch the door at all,” says Mary Wilson, 38, of Seattle. “People will use their knuckles to punch elevator buttons, and the grocery stores all have Handiwipes to wipe off the baskets now. I’m sort of a closet germophobe, but I’m beginning to feel like much less of a freak these days. Other people are doing the same quirky things.”...

Expert advises alcohol hand sanitizers - UPI

A handshake can spread a lot of germs, but a U.S. microbiology expert says the use of some anti-microbials with triclosan may be self-defeating.

Michael McCann, of Saint Joseph's University, in Philadelphia, advises thorough hand washing with conventional soap and warm water is the best way to advert illness, but many hand sanitizers contain chemicals like triclosan that specifically kill bacteria, but triclosan also can trigger "selection."

"Research suggests wide-scale application of these sanitizers promotes the evolution of drug-resistant strains of bacteria," McCann said in a statement....

Firm flexibility = healthier worker habits - UPI

Corporate commitment to flexibility such as flextime, job sharing and telecommuting can translate into U.S. workers adopting healthier lifestyles.

Lead author Joseph G. Grzywacz of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., said if companies provide workplace flexibility -- and if employees perceive that flexibility as real -- then healthier habits result.

Grzywacz used data from Health Risk Appraisals, completed by executives, administrative staff, production and warehouse workers of a large multinational pharmaceutical company recognized as one of the most family-friendly U.S. employers....

5 Healthy New Year's Resolutions for Men - WebMD

The new year is a time many men rethink their lives and make resolutions to get their health back on track. Viven Valdez is no exception.

Medical school has been a big challenge for Valdez. He has spent day and night poring over textbooks, preparing for the day when he can practice as an osteopathic doctor. In the meantime, he has neglected his own health, gaining 30 pounds since he entered the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Penn....

Christmas coronary spikes on holidays - UPI

The spike in death rates during the holidays has been dubbed by U.S. researchers the "Merry Christmas Coronary."

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville said a national database detailing information on the 53 million U.S. deaths between 1973 and 2001 shows heart disease deaths peak in December and January with spikes on Christmas and New Year's....

Research Shows What Works to Cut Smoking Rates - Medline Plus

Graphic warning labels on packages, bans on cigarette advertising, legislating smoke-free areas, boosting cigarette prices, and preventing smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products are among the most effective ways to discourage smoking, according to researchers involved in a study on international tobacco control policies....

Is There an Anticancer Diet? - WebMD

Certain fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk of cancer and may even help stop cancer in its tracks, according to new research.

While there's not really an "anticancer diet," eating plenty of certain fruits and vegetables can help reduce your risk of getting cancer, researchers reported today at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Philadelphia.

Their findings confirm and strengthen previous research that have linked a high intake of fruits and vegetables with a reduced cancer risk....

No time for the doctor? Airports offer flu shots - MSNBC

After taking off shoes, pulling change out of pockets and going through security checkpoints, passengers now can roll up their sleeves and get a flu shot at gateside kiosks and health stations in some major U.S. airports....

Keep Holiday Stress to a Minimum: Learn to Say No - WebMD

For many of us, the holidays were magical in childhood, carefree times to be savored. But then we grew into hordes of harried adults, falling victim to the season's high expectations. Holiday stress has become as much a tradition as the Christmas ham.

"People are overcommitted," says Marc D. Skelton, PhD, PsyD, a psychologist in Laguna Niguel, Calif. "Christmas and other holidays around this time are always supposed to be fun, and you're supposed to do a good job in terms of entertaining friends and family."...

Transcendental Meditation lowers BP - UPI

Transcendental Meditation produces a statistically significant reduction in high blood pressure not found with other forms of relaxation, a U.S. review found.

The review by the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, Ky., rebuts a July report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which found little evidence that any specific stress reduction effectively lowers blood pressure....

Atherosclerosis: Your Arteries Age by Age - WebMD

Atherosclerosis takes place over a lifetime. Complications from atherosclerosis tend to happen later in life. But the process of narrowing and hardening of the arteries starts early, progressing over decades.

Developing some atherosclerosis is often unavoidable. It's the result of aging and our own genetic tendencies. A much larger part, though, is determined by our behavior and lifestyle choices as we move through life.

How old are your arteries? Are they the ones you had in college? Or are they hitting their golden years early? Making sure your arteries act their age -- or even young at heart -- is partly up to you....

Phone calls prod sedentary to exercise - UPI

Telephone calls from a live U.S. health educator or an automated computer system prodded couch potatoes into a regular 150-minute per week exercise program.

Lead author Abby King of the Stanford Prevention Research Center said the researchers were surprised that the computer calls were almost as effective as the calls by a real person.

"This is the first study to directly compare the efficacy of a physical activity program delivered by a computer (vs.) humans and found them to work similarly well," King said in a statement. "Theoretically, it could be delivered to anybody around the country or around the world, and could save time and money."...

The health pros and cons of drinking - CNN

Story Highlights

Study: Women who drank one drink per day gained less weight than abstainers
Moderate drinking seems to raise good, lower bad cholesterol
A lcohol lessen inhibitions, which can lead to unhealthy food choices...

Fitness, Not Fatness, Predicts a Longer Life - Medline Plus

In the quest for a longer life, a new study suggests fit is where it's at -- even if you're fat.

Overweight and obese seniors who were physically fit outlived their contemporaries -- even thin ones who weren't physically fit, the researchers said.

"Cardio-respiratory fitness is a strong determinate of mortality in older men and women," said lead researcher Steven N. Blair, a professor at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

"Older individuals need to be concerned about their fitness level," Blair added. "There is perhaps too much focus on body weight, and fitness is only an afterthought."

Adequate fitness can be achieved with 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day, such as brisk walking, regardless of your weight, Blair said....

Too much, too little sleep can be deadly - UPI

Sleeping too much, or too little can increase the risk of mortality, British researchers found.

A study, published in the journal Sleep, linked a decrease in sleep duration in people who slept between six to eight hours per night to a 110 percent excess risk of cardiovascular mortality. An increase in sleep duration among people who already sleep seven or eight hours was linked to a 110 percent increased risk of mortality.

"In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping seven or eight hours per night is optimal for health," the study's author, Dr. Jane Ferrie, of University College London Medical School, said in a statement....

Don’t overthink your diet - MSNBC

Let it slip that you’re trying to slim down and suddenly everyone you meet is a weight loss expert. Don’t eat white food, they’ll say. Drink gallons of water. Don’t eat after 5 P.M.

It may be impossible to avoid unsolicited diet advice, but with SELF’s help, now you’ll know what’s worth listening to. We put nine diet strategies to the test, recruiting 27 women to try one tip for three weeks. The results were impressive—one woman lost 11 pounds in only three weeks! We learned not only what works but also which habits stick. Incorporate the behaviors that work for you and soon people will start asking you for weight loss advice....

Fitness quiz: Test your fitness awareness - Mayo Clinic

Think you know the best way to get in shape? Why physical activity is so important? Or what happens if you stop exercising? Find out the answers to these questions and more. See how much you really know about fitness!...

Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour - Mayo Clinic

Being active — either through physical activity or through a formal exercise program — is an essential component of a weight-loss program. When you're active, your body uses energy (calories) to work, helping to burn the calories you take in with food you eat.

Whatever activity you choose, the key is to commit to doing it regularly. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week. Moderately intense activity or exercise should increase your heart and breathing rates and possibly lead to a light sweat.

This chart shows the estimated number of calories burned while performing a variety of exercises for one hour. Calorie expenditure varies widely depending on the exercise, intensity level and individual....

Counseling, patches up smoking quit rates - UPI

Increasing Quitline smoking cessation services and offering free nicotine patches are a cost-effective way to reduce smoking rates, two U.S. studies found.

One study found the number of callers to the Oregon Tobacco Quitline jumped from 6,426 to 13,646 annually, and their quit rates nearly doubled, when the state of Oregon promoted Quitline services by combining one 30-minute telephone counseling session with a free two-week supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, or NRT.....

The second study looked at 4,600 smokers who were randomly assigned to one of six levels of services when they called the Oregon Tobacco Quitline -- one 15-minute telephone counseling with or without NRT; one 30-minute call and one follow-up with or without NRT; one 30-minute call and four follow-up calls with or without NRT.

New Year's Resolution: Get Fit - WebMD

You needed neither that second serving nor the extra round of drinks. Yet you indulged. Aren't the holidays about good times with loved ones, great food, and merrymaking? Anyway, beginning Jan. 1, you will eat healthier and work out. Starting then, you will get fit. This will be your New Year's resolution. Life will be better after December.

Sound familiar? It should if you're one of the millions of people who find themselves unsatisfied with their excess body weight or sluggish physical condition at the turn of the calendar.

In fact, about a third of New Year's resolvers make weight loss their primary goal, and about 15% aim to begin an exercise program...