Even if you work out, heavy sitting may put you at greater risk of developing diabetes or dying of heart disease or cancer, per a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine. “We haven’t cracked the formula for how much light activity versus more traditional exercise we should do,” says study co-author David Alter, MD. “But taking the ‘move more’ mentality more seriously is a good place to start.”The action planGive yourself points every time you complete one of that week’s tasks. Try to rack up at least 15 points a week.RELATED: Your Slim and Strong Walking WorkoutWeek 1Get on your feet: “Find out what your personal sitting traps or triggers are, and create reminders to stand or move around,” suggests Nolan Peterson, a wellness exercise specialist at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.Count your steps: Keep your smartphone or tracker on you all day to get a rough idea of how many steps you take. Whatever your personal best is, aim to log 1,000 more steps daily. [1 Point]Wear comfy shoes to work: “You’re not going to stand or walk around more if you don’t have the means to do so,” says celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak. [1 Point]Set a timer: “Your computer mesmerizes you and you lose track of time. You need something to remind you when it’s a good idea to make a postural change,” says Alan Hedge, PhD, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University. Program your phone to vibrate every hour as a cue to stand or do laps for 10 minutes. [2 Points]Switch to a standing desk: “I’ve found I’m more likely to move naturally into different positions when I use mine,” says Peterson. To DIY your own, check out these standing desk ideas. [3 Points]RELATED: Walk Off Every Bulge
Week 2Move it: Make some aspects of life less convenient, recommends Hedge.Find excuses to move: Do away with the printer at your desk; at home, transfer your mugs to a cabinet away from the coffeemaker. [1 Point]Pace during calls: Get in the habit of taking extra steps whenever you answer the phone. [1 Point]Be a mom in motion: Stroll the sidelines instead of sitting on the bleachers at your kid’s baseball game, or get out of the car and walk around at school pickup. [2 Points]Keep the remote out of reach: During TV time, leave the clicker across the room. Hop up to hit mute during commercials. [2 Points]RELATED: Best Sneakers For WalkingWeek 3Up the burn: It’s crucial to pair small pockets of movement with real exercise, says Dr. Alter, who’s a cardiologist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.Climb the stairs: “Going up uses three times the energy as going down,” says Hedge. Walk up one to two flights whenever possible this week. [1 Point]Work out at lunch: Bonus: Exercising during work hours for 2½ hours a week may maintain or boost productivity, per a 2011 study. [2 Points]Sneak in some action: Schedule a walking, jogging, even SoulCycling meeting instead of settling into conference-room chairs…

I’m guilty: I snooped around Jillian Michaels’ dressing room. I was left alone for a few minutes while she filmed part of her new show, Sweat Inc., and I spied something far too tempting to ignore: her stash of snacks.After all, the fitness entrepreneur, 41, is a powerhouse, and I wanted to know what fuel she’s putting in her machine. Her snacks include organic brown rice crackers; dry roasted, salted almonds; and root vegetable chips.And, boy, does Jillian need to keep her energy up. In addition to this show, which debuts on Spike TV this month, she’s shooting an E! channel docuseries, Just Jillian, that captures her life at work and at home with her partner, Heidi Rhoades, and their two kids, Lukensia, 5, and Phoenix, 3, set to air in January. She’s also busy writing a new book for mothers-to-be, Hot Mom, Healthy Baby, and has just launched a fresh-food line called Slim Soul (in select supermarkets). And that’s on top of the Impact fitness wear she created for Kmart. Jillian is still in full exercise garb because she’s just finished a workout on camera—but despite the name of her show, she isn’t breaking a sweat. “I take better care of my body now than I did at 20,” Jillian says as we walk across set to grab lunch. “I got kids. I’m like, ‘I need to be around for a while!'”RELATED: Where to Buy the Cool Clothes Jillian Michaels Is Wearing in Our October IssueBack in her dressing room, she sits cross-legged on the floor. Diving into salad and ravioli, Jillian shatters some myths about working out and offers seriously practical advice on leaning in to get the body and life we deserve.I notice you’re not eating any of the grilled chicken.I don’t eat a ton of meat. I have grass-fed beef once a week, and farmed shrimp and ocean-caught salmon, and sometimes some sole or tuna. I’m looking at the planet and really starting to see how our food policy and food practices are destroying the world. Even grass-fed beef is so bad for the planet. And we’re fishing out the oceans.Do you cook at home?We’re terrible cooks! Well, Heidi is a good cook, but she doesn’t have a ton of time. I am a terrible chef, so I hate to admit this, but one of the things we do is have a couple of restaurants that feed us—literally. The more I work out, the more carbs I need. I stopped eating sugar in December. Carbs, yes, but straight sugar, no.Is there one food rule you think we should all follow?I don’t believe in all or nothing. I think the key contents are: Don’t overeat, avoid chemicals as often as possible and…that’s it.RELATED: Transform Your Body in 4 Weeks With Jillian’s 7-Move Circuit WorkoutAnd of course people always want to know what one move is best for the whole body. Is there one move?People think there is a simple solution. Honestly, the majority of people with fitness phenomenons build a business by giving you a magic-bullet answer: “Eat whatever you want, except this, and you’ll lose weight.” “Eat whatever you want, but only during these hours.” “Just do one exercise…

There’s a reason so many of us struggle with losing weight (and keeping it off). Cutting-edge research is pointing toward a surprising new explanation—one that has little to do with lack of willpower. (Thank goodness.) In fact, the problem is that you’ve been doing what you were told to do—slash calories, cut fat.Conventional wisdom holds that weight loss is nothing more than simple math. Take in fewer calories than you expend, and the pounds will fall off as predictably as leaves from an autumn tree. But thousands of failed diets have shown that the low-calorie approach doesn’t work, says David Ludwig, MD, an endocrinologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. “When you cut calories, the body fights back, making you hungrier, among other things,” he explains. “Weight is controlled by our biology more than our willpower.”RELATED: 16 Ways to Lose Weight FastWhat’s more, despite everything you’ve heard for years, all calories aren’t created equal. “Although a bottle of cola and a handful of nuts may have the same number of calories, they have dramatically different effects on metabolism,” says Dr. Ludwig. (Bet you can guess which is worse.)Three new books offer insights into the latest thinking on smart eating, and they’re all penned by eminent weight-loss experts: Dr. Ludwig; Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; and Mark Hyman, MD, director of The Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Health chatted with these groundbreaking diet crusaders to uncover what we all need to know to slim down and stay healthy for good.Minimize simple carbs”The ‘calorie is a calorie’ myth is perhaps the most misleading nutrition lie ever,” says Dr. Hyman. Here’s why: Sugary snacks and drinks and low-fat, highly processed starches raise blood sugar quickly, which triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin—the hormone Dr. Ludwig calls “the ultimate fat cell fertilizer” because it instructs your body to store calories as fat, causing fat cells to increase in number and size.Once insulin ushers calories into your fat cells, it closes the door, restricting their ability to get out. With calories, aka fuel, trapped in your fat cells, there’s too little glucose and too few lipids circulating in the bloodstream to power your brain and muscles. Your brain, sensing the fuel shortage, prompts you to feel hungry and slows down your metabolism—the worst possible combination for long-term weight control.RELATED: 26 Weight-Loss Myths You Shouldn’t Believe”Overeating hasn’t made our fat cells grow,” says Dr. Ludwig, whose book is titled Always Hungry?. “Processed carbs and added sugar have programmed our fat cells to grow, and that makes us overeat.” And it becomes a vicious cycle. Break it: “If you’re going to have simple carbs, like bread with dinner, have them after you’ve eaten some protein and veggies first,” says Dr…