Browse the evidence

Psychological factors including internal motivation, self-efficacy, effective coping strategies, and an internal locus of control are positively associated with weight loss maintenance.

Cultivate internal motivation and self-efficacy. Take responsibility for your lifestyle changes rather than relying on external pressure. Develop coping strategies for stress that do not involve eating.

Structured exercise interventions significantly improve quality of life, physical functioning, and peak oxygen consumption in breast cancer patients and survivors.

Engage in a structured exercise program combining aerobic activity (like walking or cycling) and resistance training (weights or bands) 2-3 times per week. Start at a moderate intensity where you can talk but not sing, and gradually increase the duration or weight. This approach has been proven to significantly improve your quality of life, physical function, and heart health during and after breast cancer treatment.

Adherence to behavioral advice (diet, exercise, smoking cessation) is associated with a substantially lower risk of recurrent cardiovascular events.

For heart patients, sticking to advice on diet, exercise, and quitting smoking is crucial for preventing another heart event. Even small improvements in these areas can significantly lower your risk.

Maintaining or increasing physical activity and limiting screen time increases during abrupt societal changes (such as pandemic restrictions) mitigates negative mental health consequences, including depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

If you are facing restrictions that make your normal routine impossible, prioritize keeping up your physical activity levels and limit non-essential screen time. The study shows that dropping your activity level or increasing screen time is strongly linked to worse mental health, including higher depression and anxiety. You can maintain activity through home-based exercises or telehealth guidance even if you are isolated.

Resistance exercise is the most effective intervention for slowing age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass.

To keep your muscles from shrinking as you age, you must engage in resistance exercise. It is the most effective tool available for this specific purpose.

Physical inactivity is a primary driver of muscle mass and strength loss, making physical activity a protective factor against sarcopenia.

Staying physically active is your best defense against losing muscle as you get older. Inactivity directly correlates with muscle loss.

Using a smartphone application for self-monitoring of diet and physical activity significantly increases adherence to weight loss interventions compared to website-based or paper diary methods, resulting in greater mean weight loss over a 6-month period.

To lose more weight, use a smartphone app for daily food and activity logging instead of a paper diary or website. The app's convenience, instant feedback, and text message reminders help you stick with the habit longer, which directly leads to greater weight loss over 6 months.

Regular physical activity improves maximum aerobic power (cardiorespiratory fitness) by 10-20% in average urban city-dwellers, bringing their performance levels closer to those observed in circumpolar Scandinavian populations.

Engage in regular physical activity to boost your aerobic fitness. While specific protocols aren't detailed here, the goal is to improve your maximum oxygen intake by 10-20%. This brings your fitness closer to optimal levels seen in active populations. Start now, as the activity is likely beneficial and pleasant, rather than waiting for perfect scientific certainty.

Modifying the campus food environment to make healthy foods more accessible, affordable, and appealing significantly increases the consumption of healthy foods among university students.

If you are a university administrator or facility manager, prioritize placing healthy, affordable options in high-traffic areas (cafeterias, vending machines). Remove barriers like high cost or lack of availability for healthy items. If you are a student, recognize that your environment dictates your choices more than your knowledge; choose living situations or study spots that make healthy food the path of least resistance.

Web-based interventions that include enhanced features such as behavioral therapy, human email counseling, or automated feedback achieve significantly greater weight loss compared to education-only web-based programs or control groups.

If you use a web-based weight loss program, choose one that offers more than just information. Look for programs that provide personalized feedback, behavioral therapy, or regular contact with a counselor. These 'enhanced' features are key to achieving greater weight loss compared to basic educational websites.

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions, particularly those involving text messaging (SMS) and clinical feedback, significantly improve glycemic control (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to standard care.

For patients with diabetes, using mobile health tools like SMS reminders or apps to track blood glucose and receive feedback from healthcare providers can lead to modest but clinically meaningful improvements in blood sugar control (HbA1c), especially for those with type 2 diabetes. This approach works best when combined with standard care and lifestyle education, and effects are most evident within the first year of use.

Medically tailored groceries (MTG) and produce prescriptions improve diet quality and clinical markers (like HbA1c) in patients with diet-related chronic conditions.

If you have diabetes or heart disease and struggle to buy healthy food, ask your doctor about produce prescription programs or medically tailored groceries. These programs often provide vouchers or specific foods to help you manage your condition.

Popular commercial weight management apps that incorporate evidence-based behavior change techniques (specifically goal setting, self-monitoring, and feedback) along with semi-automated tracking features demonstrate significantly higher app quality, engagement, and information quality than those lacking these features.

When choosing a weight management app, prioritize those that offer semi-automated tracking (like barcode scanners or device syncing) and explicitly include behavior change techniques like goal setting and self-monitoring. These features are correlated with higher app quality and engagement, whereas apps that rely solely on aesthetics or manual entry may lack the necessary content for effective behavior change.

Internet-based physical activity interventions are more effective than waiting list strategies in increasing physical activity levels in adults.

Use an internet-based program that offers personalized feedback and self-monitoring tools. These programs have been shown to be more effective than doing nothing (waiting list) for increasing physical activity in adults, regardless of their specific health conditions, as long as they have internet access.

Using a mobile app to self-monitor physical activity increases the frequency of exercise recording and total intentional energy expenditure, leading to greater weight loss and lower BMI compared to not using a PA app.

If you are trying to lose weight, use a mobile app to track your exercise. This study suggests that using an app helps you exercise more often and burn more calories intentionally compared to not using an app or using other methods. The key is the ease of tracking, which likely improves adherence.

Mobile phone interventions, specifically text messaging and smartphone applications, are effective tools for promoting weight reduction and increasing physical activity, with the majority of studies showing statistically significant improvements in weight, BMI, or waist circumference.

Use a mobile phone intervention to help with weight loss or physical activity. This can be as simple as sending text messages (SMS) or using a smartphone app to track calories and exercise. The most effective interventions often combine the technology with some form of education or support (like weigh-ins or group meetings). Most users find these tools acceptable and helpful.

Exercise interventions for hip or knee osteoarthritis reduce pain and improve physical function, with moderate quality evidence supporting these outcomes.

If you have hip or knee osteoarthritis, exercise is recommended to reduce pain and improve function. While the benefits are modest (around 6% pain reduction), they are significant for quality of life. Start with exercises tailored to your abilities and preferences, and focus on consistency rather than intensity.

Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower odds of developing incident chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily to lower your risk of developing kidney disease. This is a primary prevention strategy that aligns with cardiovascular health guidelines. Avoid prolonged periods of being sedentary.

Adolescents who regularly obtain 6-8 hours of sleep on school days exhibit significantly higher frequencies of health-promoting behaviors (including stress management, nutrition, and exercise) and have a lower probability of being overweight compared to peers with inadequate sleep.

Ensure adolescents aged 13-18 get 6-8 hours of sleep on school nights. This is not just about rest; it is strongly linked to better stress management, healthier eating, more exercise, and lower obesity rates. Prioritizing sleep supports the health-promoting behaviors needed for long-term well-being.

Transferring the Mediterranean Diet to non-Mediterranean countries (like the US) requires specific behavioral and ingredient substitutions, particularly using olive oil as the main culinary fat and reducing red/processed meats.

To adopt the Mediterranean Diet in a non-Mediterranean setting like the US, start by swapping your cooking fat to extra-virgin olive oil. Replace red and processed meats with fish, legumes, or nuts. Swap sugary drinks for water or moderate wine with meals. Use whole grains instead of refined ones, and eat fresh fruit for dessert instead of sweets. These changes are affordable and can be adapted to local tastes.

Successful long-term weight loss maintenance is associated with specific behavioral strategies, including high levels of physical activity, frequent self-monitoring, and strict dietary adherence, which counteract physiological adaptations.

To keep weight off, you must treat maintenance as a full-time job. This means eating fewer calories (especially fat), exercising regularly (about an hour a day), weighing yourself often, and limiting sedentary time. These behaviors counteract the biological urge to regain weight.

High levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), specifically around 60-75 minutes per day, can largely mitigate the increased health risks associated with high sedentary behavior.

If you have a sedentary job, prioritize getting 60-75 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. This high level of activity can significantly reduce the health risks associated with sitting for long periods, although limiting sitting time itself is still beneficial.

A software framework using a team of human Digital Twins (DTs) can predict athlete fitness outcomes and generate counterfactual explanations to suggest behavioral modifications for optimization.

Use a fitness tracking system that not only records your data but explains why it suggests changes. Look for platforms that offer 'counterfactual' insights, such as 'If you had slept 1 hour more, your performance would have improved by X%.' This transparency helps you trust and follow the advice.

Regular physical exercise performed at home during lockdown significantly mitigates psychological distress (anxiety, stress, frustration) and maintains physical fitness in individuals previously dependent on gym environments.

If you miss the gym, do not stop exercising. Substitute gym workouts with home-based alternatives like yoga, high-intensity bodyweight exercises, or household items (e.g., water bottles as weights). Use music to recreate the gym atmosphere and maintain focus. Consistency at home is more important than equipment for maintaining mental and physical health during restrictions.