A recent study from Northwestern University was released on December 15 finding people will gain significantly less weight by middle age, especially women, if they engage in moderate to vigorous activity nearly every day of the week.
The information stems from looking at the results of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a multi-center, longitudinal and population-based observational study designed to describe the development of risk factors for coronary heart disease in young black and white adults. The study participants consisted of 1,800 women and nearly 1,700 men.
The finding noted, highly active women gain less than highly active men over 20 years. Women seemed to benefit from high activity over 20 years, gaining an average of 13 pounds less than those with low activity; while men with high activity gained about 6 pounds less than their low-activity peers.
High activity included recreational exercise such as basketball, running, brisk walking or an exercise class or daily activities such as housework or construction work. This means you can get exercise in just about any daily activity if you try.
