That is an excellent question. A study in the AHA journal Circulation, by Dr. Duck-Chul Lee from South Carolina, addressed this question. The title says it all: "Physical Fitness Trumps Body Weight in Reducing ... continue reading  about  My goal next year is to improve my overall health. Can you tell me if I should focus more on lowering my weight (as I'm a few pounds heavier than I should be), or concentrate more on exercising?

Achilles tendonitis is a tough condition to treat since many aerobic activities can aggravate the condition and one of the treatment strategies is to avoid these activities.Aerobic conditioning is incredibly va... continue reading  about  I have severe Achilles tendinitis and can't even go on long walks for exercise. What workouts would you recommend while I recover? It's been weeks since I've broken a good sweat.

First of all, congratulations on getting all of that wonderful exercise! Exercise is so good for your physical AND mental health. Don't go calling yourself obese just yet. Technically, a BMI of 27 classifies yo... continue reading  about  I'm 54, eat well and exercise five times per week. Yet my BMI is 27, which translates as obese. Is a BMI of 27 really that indicative of my overall health?

You should try to do both types of exercise. Both have benefits. Aerobic exercise is helpful to improve circulation and to burn calories and, if done long enough, to also help burn fat stores. When you do resis... continue reading  about  Experts say not to skip meals because it slows metabolism down. We are also advised to exercise to burn fat. Now they say you can't just do aerobics, you need resistance training. I'm training with weights and all I'm doing is getting bigger.

I suggest you get treatment for your impingement. Impingement is a fairly simple thing to treat, and most patients recover well and are able to resume activities like push-ups. If you have had treatment but did... continue reading  about  I've been diagnosed with impingement in both of my shoulders. I don't want surgery, but I need a workout routine that does not rely on shoulders/pushups, as I can't support my body weight that way without having significant pain. Any suggestions?

It is wise to be concerned about dietary supplements, since they are not regulated by the FDA. This then allows manufacturers of these products to make claims that are not well founded in medical science or stu... continue reading  about  I've been running for a number of years. I feel like I've sort of hit a plateau in my race times and performances. I'm considering taking dietary supplements, but I'm concerned about possible side effects. Should I be?

Don't give up! As many women approach menopause they find themselves experiencing unexplained weight gain, especially around the waist and hip areas, despite their best efforts to watch what they eat and to inc... continue reading  about  I'm a very active pre-menopausal 50-year-old who eats right and works out four to six times a week. Why in the world can I not lose my belly cellulite and build more muscle? I'm ready to quit everything and just get fat and eat junk food!

It is excellent that you are active. In fact, a New England Journal study showed that people who are active actually do better in terms of their arthritis versus people who are not active. This is counter to wh... continue reading  about  I'm 56 and play racquetball two times a week, speed walk 6+ miles at a time, and play volleyball. My knees ache after I play. I ice after activities and have been taking Cellaplex for two months. How do I know if I am damaging my knees?

Shin splints are very common, especially when someone has just started a new exercise program or has increased their overall workout. Shin splints are actually best thought of as stress injuries (microscopic) o... continue reading  about  I've started running to get back into shape and lose some extra pounds, but now I've got shin splints. What causes this, how can I get rid of them, and also how do I prevent them from coming back?