If You're Fit, Does It Matter If You're Fat?

Does being fit neutralize the health risks of being fat? Until recently, research said yes—giving the green light to many postworkout bowls of Chubby Hubby ice cream, we suspect.

Hold that spoon. Being physically active is important, and applause if you are (or you're trying). But a new 10-year study of nearly 39,000 women says that exercise by itself can't protect your heart against the dangers of extra pounds. Your body wants you active AND your weight healthy.

In the study, women who were overweight and active (walking about 10 miles a week) were 50% more likely to have a coronary event—such as a heart attack or bypass surgery—than women who were a normal weight and equally active. Being slender alone wasn't magic, either. Normal-weight couch potatoes were 88% more likely to have heart problems than normal-weight women who were active.

Is this a wake-up call if you're physically idle but munch carrots in front of the TV? Or if you walk everyday but then curl up with chips and dip (salsa, we hope)? You bet. To avoid dangerous effects on your genes, you need a normal waist and an active life—both keep genes that make you healthy turned on. Conversely, belly fat—the killer intra-abdominal kind that wraps around your vital organs—turns on genes that make you older. It also dumps chemicals into your bloodstream that harden arteries and promote heart-threatening blood clots.

Here are six remarkably simple ways to get your weight and activity in balance and make your RealAge (your physical age) younger. It's what we call a do-over. YOU can get one! It's not that hard, and it doesn't take that long. Here's what to do:

1. Be a stealthy, steady calorie cutter. Eat three meals plus snacks (hunger only encourages overeating!), but rein in calories by eating three-quarters as much as usual for 6 days. If you tend to eat because you're bored, mad, sad, or anything other than actually hungry, doing this will help you switch back to eating when you're hungry, not when you're moody. Alternatively, try simply cutting out 100 calories a day. Switch from sweetened applesauce to natural, and you'll save nearly 100 calories per cup. Use a tablespoon less of canola oil for salads or sautes and add herbs for flavor instead. You'll never miss the calories and can lose 12 pounds a year this way.

2. Avoid these like poison, because for your genes and body, they are: Don't buy anything that lists these among the first five ingredients on the label: saturated fat, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), syrups like high-fructose corn syrup, simple sugars (they end in -ose, like sucrose and glucose), sugar alcohols (these end in -ol, like mannitol), and enriched/bleached flour.

3. Eat plenty of these: fresh fruit, veggies, 100% whole grains. It's that simple—and you'll find them mostly along the periphery of the supermarket, so shop mostly there. Dive into juicy peaches or crunchy corn in summer; crisp apples, pears, squash, and dried berries in fall and winter; tender asparagus and baby greens in spring.

4. Walk for 30 minutes every day. If you've been away from exercise longer than the Chicago Cubs have been waiting to win a World Series, your body will appreciate a half-hour walk every day. If you can't manage that, walk three times a day for 10 minutes. Don't worry about going longer or faster right away: In one study of significantly overweight women, those who walked for 30 minutes five days a week lost weight at a rate similar to women who walked for 60 minutes.

5. One month later: Show some resistance. After 30 days of regular walking, kick it up. Twice a week, build muscle by lifting weights for 20 minutes. You can lift a dumbbell, a gallon of milk, or a toddler ... just lift!

6. Rely on a tape measure, not the scale. Measure your waist while you're sucking in (you will anyway) before you start Step 1. Then, once a week, measure it again. Aim to get it into these ideal ranges: 32 1/2 inches or less if you're a woman, and 35 inches or less if you're a man. The less you need those elastic-waist jeans, the lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes and other bad stuff.

Find More:

• Why You're Still Hungry After Some Meals
• Get Buff With a Ballet-Based Workout
• Diet Myths That Make You Fat
• Bing: Lose Weight