Just how important is proper nutrition? Extremely! We believe it to be responsible for 80% of the way you look and feel. How often do you see people in your gym, that have been “working out” for months or years with little to no change in the way they appear? Quite often! Why? Simple, they are not putting the necessary emphasis on their nutrition.

In today’s society, with the advances in food preparation and packaging, we unfortunately, have lost quite a bit of the natural nutrients provided in the past due to the processing used now. This might make the foods taste different, possibly even a bit better, but these processing procedures rob us of vital benefits previously found in our food supply. Couple this with the stresses of everyday life and we are all but assured of missing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that we require for proper health and bodily function.

This is where supplementation comes in. It should ABSOLUTELY be a part of everyone’s life, if only for the inclusion of things such as additional Vitamin C, B Vitamins or a Multi. Now, quality? That is where you must be very careful. Quality is very difficult to determine and buying the “on-sale” product week to week or the recommendation made by the sales staff at your local GNC will most likely put you even further behind in your quest for overall health.

Stick with products that are backed by science! Nutritional supplementation does not fall under the FDA’s guidelines, therefore you are blindly hoping that what the label reads, is what is actually included in the product. Not a chance I want to take personally. This reason alone, is one of the most important reasons for our recommendation of AdvoCare products! Tested and certified by Informed Choice, the leading third-party, testing agency in the world. Read more below and take advantage of the efforts AdvoCare has gone to in order to provide for your health and well-being.

CorePlex multivitamin supplement provides a synergistic combination of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and botanicals  to help supply the body with the nutritional components it needs to maintain optimal health.*

While there are many multivitamins on the market today, CorePlex provides a balance of nutrients that assure benefits and optimal absorption that far exceed most other multivitamin supplements on the market.*

Contact us with any questions you may have!

Remember, Online Fitness Coaching is THE affordable, convenient alternative to better health….Similar Posts:

• Informed Choice Certification Adds Comfort
• It’s Time to Take Control of Your Health
• MNS Max 3 – A Comprehensive Weight Loss System
• It’s Time for a SPARK
• Three New Amazing AdvoCare Products

(HealthDay News) — Seniors who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, a new study has found.

Cognitive function refers to the ability to think, remember, plan and organize information.

Researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia analyzed diet and cognitive data on 4,879 people (3,101 women and 1,778 men), age 70 and older, who took part in the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging. The participants were followed for an average of seven years.

The analysis revealed that:
• Those who ate three or more servings of vegetables daily had a 30 percent lower risk for dying from heart disease and a 15 percent lower risk for dying from any cause during the follow-up period than those who ate fewer than three servings of vegetables a day.
• There was a significant association between higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased prevalence of cognitive impairment.
• People who scored high on cognitive functions tests were less likely to die from heart disease or any other cause during the follow-up than were those with low scores.

The study was to be presented Wednesday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute explains how to prevent and control heart disease risk factors.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Nov. 18, 2009

Remember, Online Fitness Coaching is THE affordable, convenient alternative to better health….Similar Posts:

• Eating in America Still Unhealthy: CDC
• Obesity Seems to Alter Heart Structure
• Simple Test Might Detect ‘Silent’ Heart Disease
• Oversized College Football Players May Face Heart Risks
• Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Heart Disease

(HealthDay News) — Oil from genetically modified soybeans boosts levels of an important omega-3 fatty acid in the body, which may reduce the risk of heart attacks, U.S. researchers say.

They created soybeans that produce oils rich in stearidonic acid (SDA), which is converted by the body into an omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

“We know that giving pure EPA to people reduces their risk for heart disease. Presumably, if you gave this special soybean oil to people, you’d do the same thing — reduce heart attacks,” study author William Harris, a professor of medicine at Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota and chief of cardiovascular health research at Sanford Research/USD, said in a news release.

They gave the SDA-enriched oil from the genetically modified soybeans to volunteers and found that their red blood cell levels of EPA increased 17.7 percent.

“That means the SDA in the oil was converted to EPA in the body,” Harris said.

The study, to be presented Monday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., was funded by Monsanto Co. and Solae LLC.

“This oil could make a major contribution to our national omega-3 intake,” Harris said. “The supply could be virtually endless and it would provide omega-3s without putting additional pressure on fish stocks. What’s more, it will be free of contamination from mercury, PCBs or dioxins, the harmful things that can get into some types of fish.”

More information

MedlinePlus has more about omega-3 fatty acids.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Nov. 16, 2009

Remember, Online Fitness Coaching is THE affordable, convenient alternative to better health….Similar Posts:

• Omegas vs Flax Seed
• Everyone Needs to Add Omegas
• Lower Your Cholesterol With These Fine Foods
• Simple Test Might Detect ‘Silent’ Heart Disease
• Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Heart Disease

(HealthDay News) — While rates of obesity are climbing across America, they are especially high in sections of Appalachia and the Southeast, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in its first county-by-county survey.

Obesity and diabetes “are basically the two conditions of greatest concern for U.S. adults right now,” said study lead author Edward Gregg, chief of epidemiology and statistics in the CDC’s division of diabetes translation.

“They have been increasing for the last 10 to 15 years,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve been able to look at the most local level, defining where the problem is.” The findings are published in the Nov. 20 issue of the agency’s journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

In the Appalachia region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, 81 percent of counties have high rates of diabetes and obesity. In the Southeast region that includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, three-quarters of the counties have similarly high rates of both.

In many counties within those regions, more than 10 percent of residents have a diabetes diagnosis, and obesity prevalence is more than 30 percent.

Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles, both commonplace in modern American life, are known to contribute to type 2 diabetes and obesity.

“We think these increases in obesity and diabetes partially reflect the cultural shifts that are affecting all of us,” said Gregg, “but we see them most in regions where there is more poverty and where educational levels are lower.”

The two conditions go hand in hand, Gregg said. “Diabetes is one of the most tangible damaging effects of obesity. People who are very obese have four to five times the risk of developing diabetes than people of normal weight,” he said. Obesity is also linked to heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

The new CDC report coincides with data released Thursday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that finds that two out of three people with diabetes forego either some or all of the most important examinations they need to stay healthy.

Using 2007 data, the agency found that only one-third of adult diabetics had had a health professional check their blood sugar levels that year, had undergone an eye exam, or had their feet examined for poor circulation. Only 58 percent had even two of these three crucial exams, the AHRQ found, 3 percent had had none of the tests, and 6 percent couldn’t tell researchers if they had had the tests of not.

Insurance status played a big role, with insured individuals being twice as likely to say they had had all three tests versus the uninsured.

Americans’ expanding waistlines are taking a financial toll, too. The medical costs of obesity in the United States reached $147 billion in 2008, the CDC estimates, and people diagnosed with diabetes have medical costs that are more than double those of people without the disease. The CDC estimates that 8 percent of U.S. adults have diabetes, and another 5.7 million have it but don’t know it.

The new county-by-county information is a useful tool, Gregg said. “If people see the information that is closest to them, if we make it local to the person with the condition, the doctor, the legislator, that is better than seeing it at an abstract level,” he said.

“Awareness of the size and scope of the problem is important for local policy makers to identify the necessary community and clinical services to prevent and control the conditions,” the MMWR report said. “For example, lifestyle programs for diabetes prevention and community support groups for diabetes self-management have been shown effective when they are linked to a referring clinical center.”

The CDC said it has recommended 24 community strategies to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, the more common form of the disease that generally develops later in life as people lose their ability to metabolize sugar. These strategies range from providing greater access to healthy foods to promoting community redesigns that encourage more physical activity.

In Mississippi, which leads the nation in obesity and has one of the highest rates of diabetes, the agency is now working in partnership with state, federal and nonprofit agencies.

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

More information

County-by-county estimates of obesity and diagnosed diabetes are available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Edward Gregg, Ph.D., chief of epidemiology and statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, division of diabetes translation, Atlanta; Nov. 20, 2009, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; Nov. 19, 2009, news release, Agency for Healthcare Quality and ResearchSimilar Posts:

• Eating in America Still Unhealthy: CDC
• Over 45 Million Americans Now Lack Health Insurance
• Millions of Americans Don’t Get Enough Sleep
• Obesity Linked to Specific Cancers
• Simple Test Might Detect ‘Silent’ Heart Disease

Take the quiz

To begin a walking program that’s right for you, take the following quiz. Check the answers that best describe you and add up your score. Then look at the seven levels to find the best place to start. Check with your doctor before starting any program.

1. How active are you on a typical day?

A. Low-key. Unless you count walking to the car, mailbox and fridge or around the store or briefly at work, I’m either sitting, standing still or snoozing.

B In gear. I’m often walking around at work, dashing up and down the stairs or chasing kids.

C. In high gear. I move as much as I can throughout the day at work and at home.

2. How much conscious exercise do you get in a week?

A. Not much. I rarely get to the point of breathing hard, let alone break a real sweat.

B. I’m trying. At least three days a week, I can feel my heart rate going up when I walk or exercise.

C. I’m trying hard. At least four days a week I work out for 45 minutes to an hour and often work up a sweat.

3. How fit are you right now?

If I warm up and then walk 1 mile at a hard but not painful pace, it takes:

A. More than 19 minutes.

B. 14 to 19 minutes.

C. Less than 14 minutes.

4. Which of the following best describes the outcome you’d like as a result of being more active?

A. I’d be happy to just be a bit healthier, to wake up less stiff each morning and to have a lower risk for chronic disease.

B. I’d invest enough effort to receive all the benefits in (A), and also to begin losing weight at a noticeable rate — say, a pound every week or so.

C. I’d work hard enough to get the health and weight-loss benefits of (A) and (B), and also to begin noticeably improving my aerobic fitness and strength.

Calculate your Score

A = 1 point, B = 2 points, C = 3 points

Add all of your points up then figure out which level is best for you.

Question 1._ + 2. — + 3. — + 4. _= YOUR SCORE

If you scored …

•4-6 points. Beginner. Start at Level 1, gradually working up to a 20-minute walk. Keep a log of how long you walk and about how many miles you cover or steps you take. Next week add a few more minutes daily to work up to Level 2, Level 3 and so on.

•7-9 points. Intermediate. You may be ready to start at Level 3 or Level 4 with at least 20 minutes of walking a day. If this is too hard, cut back and work up to Level 3. If it’s too easy, then pick a higher level. Work on increasing duration, then speed.

•10-12 points. Advanced. You may be able to do a 45-minute to 60-minute walk daily. Look at Level 5, 6 or 7. If this feels like too much, start more gradually. If it’s too easy, pick up your speed or add other activities.

PICK YOUR PLAN

Level 1, beginner: Getting started. Begin here but add a couple of minutes consistently each week until you reach Level 2.

• Sunday: Walk for 10 minutes or do another aerobic activity such as riding a bike or playing basketball.

• Monday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Tuesday: Do another type of physical activity.

• Wednesday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Thursday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Friday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Saturday: Do another physical activity.

Level 2, beginner: If you’re able, you might consider starting with this walking program:

• Sunday: Walk 15 minutes.

• Monday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Tuesday: Walk 15 minutes.

• Wednesday: Walk 10 minutes.

• Thursday: Walk 15 minutes.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk 20 minutes.

Level 3, intermediate:

• Sunday: Walk or do other physical activity for 15 to 30 minutes.

• Monday: Walk 25 minutes.

• Tuesday: Walk 15 minutes.

• Wednesday: Walk 20 minutes.

• Thursday: Walk 30 minutes.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk 40 minutes.

Level 4, intermediate:

• Sunday: Walk 20 minutes, do strength training (also called resistance training).

• Monday: Walk 40 minutes.

• Tuesday: Walk 25 minutes.

• Wednesday: Walk 20 minutes, do strength training.

• Thursday: Walk 30 minutes.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk 50 minutes.

Level 5, advanced:

• Sunday: Walk 20 minutes, do strength training.

• Monday: Walk 40 minutes.

• Tuesday: Walk 20 minutes, do strength training.

• Wednesday: Walk 30 minutes.

• Thursday: Walk 40 minutes, do strength training.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk 1 hour.

Level 6, advanced:

• Sunday: Walk 20 minutes, do upper-body strength training.

• Monday: Walk 55 minutes.

• Tuesday: Walk 20 minutes, do lower-body strength training.

• Wednesday: Walk 40 minutes.

• Thursday: Walk 45 minutes, do upper-body strength training.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Level 7, advanced:

• Sunday: Walk 30 minutes.

• Monday: Walk 45 minutes, do upper- and lower-body strength training.

• Tuesday: Walk 50 minutes.

• Wednesday: Walk 1 hour.

• Thursday: Walk 45 minutes, do upper-body and lower-body strength training.

• Friday: Do another physical activity.

• Saturday: Walk one hour and 20 minutes.Similar Posts:

• Father’s Day for Golfing Dads
• Weight Management Top Tips (Series Day 6)
• Fitness is a Lifetime Investment
• It’s Not Too Late for Those Over 50
• The Effects of Exercise on Cancer

Complete nutrition with smart supplementation is shared among all of our trainers/coaches/clients who attain fast and furious health, weight loss, and fitness results.

Nutrition is all-too-obvious to us, but despite how feverishly we beat the drum, it remains an elusive secret to so many. That’s why we are telling you – to ensure you know the secret.

Allow me to explain and than visit www.TheAdvoCareLifestyle.com:

If you know some facts about health, you already know that increasing the frequency of your meals and healthy snacks revs up your metabolism, stoking the calorie incinerating furnace in your body….

Complete Nutrition Goes Beyond Simply “Cutting Out the Junk” and Eating More Healthy Food.

It’s about looking at what health issues are still “nagging” in your life, and how we can make them better. It’s about filling in the gaps in your diet plan and being smart about supplementation.

It’s more than just taking a multi-vitamin mineral product (although all the major medical/health organizations now recommend you do so), but also addressing things like the amount of fiber in your diet to reduce body fat and to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

It’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough quality protein each day to have energy all day long and build lean muscle, along with addressing eating habits after your workout to reduce soreness and speed up the recovery process.

How Can Smart Supplementation Help? It will address the voids in your diet and complete your nutritional needs.

Here are some benefits:

• Stabilize blood sugar and increase your energy
• Reduce muscle soreness and rapidly accelerate your recovery from exercise
• Prevent the damage caused to your body by exercise and strengthen your immune system
• Drop Body Fat while maintaining muscle
• Fill in all of the nutritional gaps

I hope that you fully understand and benefit from the elusive secret to turbo charging your fitness and weight loss results.

Choose The Right Supplements! Make Sure You Get a Guarantee!

AdvoCare has a 16 year unblemished track record in the area’s of weight management, healthy energy products, sports performance and overall wellness.

Each and every AdvoCare product is developed using only the latest science and is tested in elite athletes before the general public ever sees them. Every product is 100% Money-Back Guaranteed and every product will absolutely do what it says!

Looking to Take Care of your Core Nutrition?
MNS MAX 3 VITAMINS (OR COREPLEX)
SPARK
MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKES

These three products will feed your muscle, help you burn fat throughout the day, fill in all of your nutritional gaps and give you an abundance of healthy, natural energy!

Let us help you finally take control of your health and wellness once and for all! Guaranteed!

Get started today,

Thank You,

Jason Horsley, CEO/Founder

888-393-4033

Want to increase your energy levels, gain lean muscle, or burn fat? www.TheAdvoCareLifestyle.com

Need affordable, convenient fitness and nutrition coaching anytime, anywhere? http://www.eFitnessforLife.com

Remember, it’s not just about looks. There are many other huge benefits that come from “downsizing”. Dropping as little as 10% of your body fat can reduce disease risk significantly. Many people report better blood sugar control, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, less joint pain, improved energy, better self-image, and greater confidence! The list could go on and on…..Similar Posts:

• Use the Glycemic Index to Control Weight
• Trim Bundle Sale – Lose Unwanted Weight NOW
• It’s Time for a SPARK
• Real Weight Management – Lean in 13
• Meal Bars – Protein Supplementation For Those On The Go.

Linemen especially likely to have metabolic syndrome, study finds

(HealthDay News) — Exercise alone isn’t enough to keep overweight college football players from being at higher risk for a medical condition that can lead to heart disease, a new study suggests.

Researchers studied linemen at Division I colleges and found that two-thirds were obese. Of those, 42 percent had metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that raise the risk for heart disease and diabetes. Some researchers believe that metabolic syndrome is more likely than smoking to lead to heart disease.

“These findings are consistent with a recent study showing retired NFL linemen were twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome as players of other positions,” lead researcher Dr. James R. Borchers said in a news release from the American College of Sports Medicine. “Given the serious health consequences of these conditions, we need to study college football players over time — and we need to counsel them about managing their health risks.”

The researchers analyzed 90 football players, noting their weight and testing such factors as blood pressure and insulin level. Eight percent were overweight and 21 percent were obese; all of the obese players were linemen, whose job is to protect the quarterback.

Those who had metabolic syndrome showed abnormal numbers in at least three of five areas: triglyceride levels, bad cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity, glucose levels and blood pressure, the study found. The results are published in the December issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Today’s Division I football players reportedly are fatter and have higher levels of body fat than they did in the 1980s and 1990s, according to background information in the news release.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on metabolic syndrome.
– Randy Dotinga

SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, news release, Nov. 30, 2009Similar Posts:

• Obesity Seems to Alter Heart Structure
• Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Heart Disease
• Simple Test Might Detect ‘Silent’ Heart Disease
• Biotech Soybeans Good Source of Omega-3
• Diet, Cognitive Ability May Play Role in Heart Disease

Study links perceived age to physical, mental functioning

(HealthDay News) — People who look younger than their age tend to live longer than those who look older than their years, a new study suggests.

The finding came from research that involved 1,826 Danish twins, aged 70 and older, who were given physical and cognitive tests and then had their faces photographed. Three groups of volunteers looked at the photos and indicated the age they perceived the participants to be. Twins were assessed individually, and on different days.

The researchers, from the University of Southern Denmark, then tracked the twins for seven years and found that perceived age was significantly associated with survival, even after adjustments were made for actual age, sex and the environment in which each pair of twins was raised. The bigger the difference in perceived age, the more likely it was that the older-looking twin died first, they noted.

The researchers also found an association between perceived age and physical and mental functioning.

Common genetic factors that influence both survival and perceived age may help explain the findings, the study authors explained.

“Perceived age — which is widely used by clinicians as a general indication of a patient’s health — is a robust biomarker of aging that predicts survival among those aged 70 and older and correlates with important functional and molecular aging phenotypes,” Kaare Christensen and colleagues wrote in their report, which was published Dec. 13 in the online edition of the BMJ.

More information

The U.S. National Health Information Center offers healthy aging tips.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: BMJ, news release, Dec. 13, 2009Similar Posts:

• For a Healthier Retirement, Work a Little
• Diet, Cognitive Ability May Play Role in Heart Disease
• Retirement Brings Most a Big Health Boost
• Obesity Seems to Alter Heart Structure
• Pollution May Boost Pneumonia Risk for Seniors

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) — Hearts attacks have increased among middle-aged American women in the past two decades, but their chance of survival has improved, two new studies show.

“We found that men still have a higher prevalence than women, but what has happened is that the gap has narrowed,” said Dr. Amytis Towfighi, assistant professor of clinical neurology at the University of Southern California, lead author of one of two reports in the Oct. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. “For women it has increased, for men it has decreased.”

Her study used data from two national surveys conducted from 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2004. While 2.5 percent of the men and 0.7 percent of the women reported a history of heart attacks in the earlier survey, 2.2 percent of men and 1 percent of women reported heart attacks in the more recent survey.

The narrowing of the male-female difference is easily explained, Towfighi stated. “Very basically, the risk factors are being better controlled in men than in women.”

In men, levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol remained the same between the two surveys, while levels of “good” HDL cholesterol improved. Blood pressure levels improved, and fewer men smoked.

The improvements for women were marginal, with LDL cholesterol levels about the same. The only risk factor that improved in women was HDL cholesterol. Diabetes and obesity increased in men and women, the study found.

“We don’t know exactly what is going on in terms of risk factors being better controlled. Women aren’t checked as often,” Towfighi acknowledged.

Societal changes may play a role, she said.

With more women in the work force, she said, their rising rates of obesity and diabetes can be attributed to job demands that limit their ability to exercise and follow dietary rules.

It is no longer assumed that female hormones protect against heart disease, she said. Doctors are paying more attention to heart risk factors in women because “there is a red flag about women not being absolutely protected against heart disease in midlife, as we had thought, and we are aware that more effort must be made to reduce their risk,” Towfighi said.

The second study used information from a different data bank listing death rate trends from 1994 to 2006. It found a marked reduction in hospital deaths from heart attacks in all patients, especially among women. For women under 55, the risk of dying dropped by 53 percent, which was the greatest improvement noted. The least reduction, 33 percent, was seen in men under 55.

A detailed examination of cardiac risk factors showed that “women experienced less worsening than men,” said Dr. Viola Vaccarino, professor of medicine and director of the Emory Program in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, lead author of the report.

But changing attitudes about women and heart disease may also have had an effect, she said.

“Perhaps physicians are paying more attention to the detection and treatment of women with heart disease,” Vaccarino said. “It could be the same thing happening in the general public, with women getting more knowledgeable about this.”

“Basically, both studies show that there still is a gap between men and women,” said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “They both show the importance of continuing to pay attention to women’s risk of cardiovascular disease and treatment of their heart attacks.”

The studies offer some good news for women, Goldberg said. “I’d like to think that’s because we have increased the awareness of women themselves. But these two important studies show the need to continue research about reducing women’s risk of cardiovascular disease.”

More information

To find out who is at risk for coronary artery disease, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
SOURCES: Amytis Towfighi, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Viola Vaccarino, M.D., Ph.D., professor, medicine, director, Emory Program in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, Atlanta; Nieca Goldberg, M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Oct 26, 2009 Archives of Internal MedicineSimilar Posts:

• Biotech Soybeans Good Source of Omega-3
• Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Heart Disease
• Cholesterol Measurements May Be Made Easier
• Oversized College Football Players May Face Heart Risks
• Cocoa in Chocolate May Be Good for the Heart

You don’t have to spend much time with teenagers to know that the average adolescent would rather devote an afternoon to sitting in front of the TV, computer or video-game console than working out in a gym. And in recent years, as physical-education classes have been progressively cut from cash-strapped public-school curriculums, teens have had even more time to lounge, slouch, hang out or do anything but break a sweat.

It’s no surprise, then, that obesity rates among U.S. youngsters have skyrocketed, tripling from 1976 to 2004. Public-health experts and obesity researchers attribute the trend in part to kids’ increasingly sedentary lifestyles. As teens spend more and more time anchored before a screen – burning fewer and fewer calories each day – they’re storing more of that unused energy as fat. Hence, the ballooning rates of obesity. (See TIME’s video “Obesity and Social Networks.”)

That’s precisely why the findings of a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health came as such a surprise. The report, published last week in the journal Obesity Reviews, finds that the amount of physical activity among U.S. teens has not in fact changed significantly over the past two decades, even while that population has gotten heavier. “On the one hand, we have seen the obesity-prevalence increase, but we don’t see a decrease in physical activity,” says Dr. Youfa Wang, an associate professor at the Center for Human Nutrition at Hopkins and lead author of the study. “This suggests that physical activity is not a good explanation for the increase in prevalence of obesity.”

In simple terms, body weight is a reflection of the balance between two variables: the calories a body takes in and the calories it burns off. As far as the average U.S. teen is concerned, the study suggests, the culprit behind weight gain is not a decrease in exercise but an increase in consumption. Of course, that doesn’t mean teens are getting adequate exercise: Wang analyzed data from nearly 16,000 high school students between the ages of 15 and 18, who took part in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s longitudinal Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, about their physical activity. He and his team found that in 2007, only 34.7% of teens met federal physical activity recommendations, which call for activity strenuous enough to cause heavy breathing for a total of an hour a day for five or more days a week. (See nine kid foods to avoid.)

But the survey also found that teens’ overall rate of daily exercise had not changed much since 1991, when the study sample was first asked to report their participation in gym classes in school and their level of physical activity at home. The percentage of teens attending daily gym class has stayed relatively steady since 1991; on average, the yearly change in the proportion of students participating was less than 1%. The percentage of ninth- through 12th-graders getting adequate levels of moderate physical activity – exercise such as slow bicycling, fast walking or pushing a lawn mower, which did not make participants break a sweat – also changed very little, from 26.7% in 1999 to 26.5% in 2005, the latest year for which the data was available. Yet obesity rates continued to rise.

So does this mean that exercise isn’t important in controlling weight? As tempting as that conclusion might be, Wang and other health experts say that’s not exactly what the new data show. The findings may say less about the role of exercise by itself than about the other variable in the weight equation – diet – and the interaction of the two. While exercise may not contribute directly to weight loss, it is critical for maintaining a healthy weight, since it helps calibrate the balance between energy taken in and energy burned off. “The data is too gross, and too general to assume that [exercise doesn't count],” warns Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech. “We need to have a dual approach to weight involving both activity and diet. I would hate for people to take away from this study that activity has nothing to do with weight.” (See pictures of what makes you eat more food.)

Rankin points out that even small changes in a person’s energy balance can have a significant effect on weight. Studies have shown that eating just 10 to 20 extra calories per day – that’s one peanut M&M or one tortilla chip – that don’t get burned through activity can result in a 2-lb. gain on average over the course of a year. “But none of the methods we have now are accurate enough to pick that up,” says Rankin.

She advises people to take the new data with, well, a grain of salt. The information was collected by asking participants to self-report their exercise habits, which is a notoriously unreliable method – people are not very good at gauging their activity accurately. Add to that the fact that questionnaires are not refined enough to pick up small changes in people’s energy intake and expenditure, and it’s obvious why the findings are informative but not game-changing. “These data are useful in highlighting who should be targeted – the most difficult cases,” says Rankin. In the new study, that group includes African-American girls, who got the least amount of exercise among all adolescent groups.

Still, the study highlighted some encouraging trends. For instance, the percentage of teens who spent more than three hours a day in front of the TV dropped from 1999 to 2007, from 43% to 35%. While Wang acknowledges that students may simply be substituting computer or other sedentary screen time for television-viewing, he notes that it’s still a trend in the right direction. Far from being an excuse not to exercise, Wang sees the data as a wake-up call for parents and teens. “The important message is that compared to the recommendations for physical activity, the physical activity of American adolescents is still at a very low level,” says Wang. “We still need to make a greater effort to promote physical activity. Even if it does not explain obesity, it has many other beneficial effects.”

See a special report on the science of appetite.

See the top 10 food trends of 2008.

See how to plan for retirement at any age.

View this article on Time.comSimilar Posts:

• Antioxidant May Boost Exercise Endurance
• Kids in Home-Based Day Care Lack Exercise
• Fight The Daily Stresses
• Obesity Linked to Specific Cancers
• For a Healthier Retirement, Work a Little