Browse the evidence

Wearable activity trackers (e.g., Fitbit) significantly increase daily step count and walking minutes in adults with type 2 diabetes compared to non-tracker interventions.

Wearing a simple activity tracker like a Fitbit can help you walk more. Studies show it adds an average of 627 steps per day. Set simple step goals and use the real-time feedback to stay motivated. Social accountability, such as sharing progress with a coach or group, can further enhance adherence.

Internet-based personalised nutrition interventions yield greater dietary improvements in older adults, women, and individuals with lower baseline diet quality compared to general dietary advice.

If you are older, female, or currently eating a low-quality diet, you are statistically more likely to see significant dietary improvements from a personalised online nutrition program than younger men with already healthy diets. Look for programs that offer deep personalization (genetic/phenotypic data) if you fall into these high-benefit categories.

Psychological factors, specifically the desire to improve health and self-efficacy, are stronger predictors of benefit from personalised nutrition than genetic risk alleles.

Your mindset matters more than your DNA when starting a personalised nutrition plan. If you are motivated to improve your health and believe you can stick to healthy choices, you are more likely to succeed. Don't let genetic test results discourage you; focus on building self-efficacy.

Successful weight loss in lifestyle interventions is driven by psychological factors—specifically determination, consistency, and the ability to cope with setbacks—rather than demographic characteristics or baseline health status.

Focus on building internal determination and consistency rather than waiting for external factors like family support or perfect health. Success comes from making changes routine, reacting to setbacks with renewed effort, and believing your current diet is harmful enough to motivate change. Your demographics do not predict your ability to succeed.

A personalized, team-based lifestyle intervention (dietitian, kinesiologist, physician) improves dietary quality and reduces energy intake in patients with metabolic syndrome, with the most significant improvements occurring within the first 3 months and being maintained at 12 months.

If you have metabolic syndrome, don't try to force yourself into a rigid, one-size-fits-all diet. Instead, work with a team (doctor, dietitian, exercise expert) to make small, personalized changes to your food habits. Focus on increasing fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and reducing processed foods and sugars. You will likely see the biggest improvements in your diet quality within the first 3 months, and these changes can be maintained long-term without needing to be perfect.

A 1-year mHealth intervention using motivational interviewing calls and SMS text messages produces sustained, statistically significant reductions in body weight and BMI four years after the intervention concludes, with greater effects observed in participants receiving at least 50% of the scheduled calls.

If you have prehypertension and live in a resource-limited setting, a structured mobile health program involving monthly coaching calls and weekly text reminders can help you lose weight and keep it off for years. You don't need to be perfect; receiving half or more of the scheduled calls was enough to see significant, lasting benefits in body weight and BMI. Focus on the core behaviors: reducing sodium, fat, and sugar, while increasing fruits, vegetables, and physical activity.

Intensive lifestyle modifications, specifically combining calorie-reduced/low-sodium diets (e.g., DASH) with regular exercise, are the foundational first-line management strategy for obesity-related hypertension, aiming for 5-10% body weight loss.

Start with a DASH-style diet (low sodium, high fruits/veg) and regular exercise. Aim to lose 5-10% of your body weight over 6 months. This is the most effective non-drug way to lower blood pressure. Be prepared that maintaining this requires ongoing support because the 'yo-yo effect' is real.

Internet-based lifestyle interventions, particularly those incorporating structured behavioral programs, electronic counseling, and self-monitoring, produce clinically significant weight loss (mean 1-5 kg) and aid in weight loss maintenance compared to usual care in primary care settings.

Use a structured online weight loss program that includes self-monitoring (weight, food, activity) and access to feedback or counseling. Look for programs that are evidence-based and integrate with your primary care provider. Consistency is key, as benefits are seen over 12-24 months.

Initiating moderate-to-vigorous exercise after a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes significantly reduces the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause mortality compared to remaining sedentary.

If you were just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, start moving now. You do not need to be an athlete. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) per week. This single change can lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death by about 15-16% compared to staying sedentary.

The combination of smoking cessation and exercise initiation after a new diabetes diagnosis yields the greatest reduction in cardiovascular disease risk (46% reduction) and all-cause mortality (22% reduction) compared to continuing both bad habits.

For the best heart and life protection after a diabetes diagnosis, quit smoking and start exercising. Doing both together cuts your risk of heart disease by nearly half and death by over 20% compared to staying a smoker and sedentary. If you can only do one, start with exercise, but quitting smoking is also critical.

Resistance exercise is the primary mechanical stimulus to prevent the decline in Type 2 muscle fiber cross-sectional area in older adults.

Engage in regular resistance training to maintain the size and function of your fast-twitch muscle fibers. This mechanical stimulus is crucial for keeping your muscles strong and functional as you age.

Short-term periods of physical inactivity (disuse) accelerate muscle atrophy and strength loss in older adults, mimicking years of natural aging.

Avoid prolonged periods of inactivity, such as bedrest or hospitalization, as they cause rapid muscle loss in older adults that is difficult to reverse. Maintain daily movement even during minor illnesses or injuries.

Theory-based lifestyle interventions combining dietary and physical activity components with specific behavior change techniques (goal setting, self-monitoring, instructions, credible source) are effective for treating overweight/obesity in post-treatment breast cancer survivors.

Breast cancer survivors aiming for weight loss should engage in structured lifestyle programs that combine a moderate caloric deficit (500-1000 kcal/day) with gradually increasing physical activity (starting at 30 mins/day). These programs must be grounded in behavioral theory and explicitly use techniques like goal setting, self-monitoring, and credible instruction to be effective.

Supervised resistance training produces greater site-specific muscle hypertrophy and strength gains compared to unsupervised training in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are already experienced with resistance training, working with a coach or trainer who provides real-time feedback and encouragement will likely lead to better muscle growth and strength gains than training alone. The supervision helps you push closer to failure with better technique, which drives adaptation.

Daily undulating programming (DUP) and strategic microcycle construction (e.g., prioritizing high-intensity sessions after low-intensity recovery sessions) can optimize recovery and enhance performance on priority sessions.

Use Daily Undulating Programming (DUP) to schedule high-intensity or high-volume sessions after low-intensity 'easy' sessions. This allows you to recover fully for your priority lifts while maintaining training frequency.

A 5-year Physical Activity on Prescription (PAP) intervention significantly improves metabolic health and mental quality of life in patients with metabolic risk factors, despite a 52% dropout rate.

Engage in a structured, long-term physical activity program (like Sweden's PAP) that includes regular follow-ups and a written prescription. Aim for approximately 3 hours of moderate-intensity activity per week. This approach has been shown to significantly improve metabolic health markers (blood pressure, glucose, lipids) and mental well-being over 5 years, even if adherence is challenging.

Exercise training (ET), including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training, improves functional status, exercise capacity, and quality of life in HFpEF patients.

If you have HFpEF, engage in regular exercise training, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate-intensity continuous training. This improves your exercise capacity, quality of life, and heart function. It is safe and recommended by guidelines.

Actively considering the health impacts of food choices during the decision-making process significantly increases the nutritional quality of selected foods, independent of an individual's intertemporal discount rate.

To eat healthier, you must actively engage your attention on health consequences during the moment of choice. Simply having nutrition labels available is not enough; you must consciously choose to consider how the food affects your health. You can facilitate this by using visual cues (like star ratings) or prompts that draw your attention to health impacts, which has been shown to lead to significantly healthier selections.

Multicomponent behavioral interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), produce 5-10% weight loss and are essential for addressing psychological barriers and sustaining lifestyle changes.

Engage in structured behavioral programs that include self-monitoring, goal setting, and problem-solving. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is particularly effective for those with binge eating, while Motivational Interviewing (MI) helps resolve ambivalence. These interventions typically yield 5-10% weight loss and are most effective when combined with lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medication.

Consulting with a sports Registered Dietitian (RD) regarding supplement choices is associated with a lower risk of using non-third-party tested supplements.

Talking to a sports dietitian about your supplements significantly lowers your risk of using contaminated products. If you can't see one, ensure you search for information yourself and look for third-party testing logos.

High training frequency (>5 days/week) is recommended to mitigate detraining effects during periods of social distancing and limited training access.

Try to move your body and perform some form of resistance exercise on most days of the week (more than 5 times). You don't need long sessions; integrating movement into daily life and doing shorter workouts frequently helps prevent loss of fitness.

Personalized diet counseling interventions that emphasize specific food behavior goals (increased plant protein, fish, olive oil, fruits/vegetables, nuts) and specific behavior change techniques (self-monitoring, feedback on performance, focus on past success) significantly improve short-term diet quality (HEI-C) in patients with metabolic syndrome.

For patients with metabolic syndrome, personalized diet counseling is effective when it moves beyond general 'balanced meal' advice. Focus on specific, actionable goals like increasing plant protein, fish, olive oil, and nuts. Use behavior change techniques like self-monitoring (e.g., food logs), providing feedback on performance, and focusing on past successes. Avoid excessive goal setting (more than 3 goals per 3 months) as it may hinder progress.

Splitting a lower-body resistance training session into two shorter intra-day sessions increases total training volume (repetitions) compared to performing the same exercises in one long continuous session.

If you can fit two shorter gym visits into your day with a few hours of rest in between, you might be able to squeeze out a few more reps than if you did one long, exhausting session. However, the gain is small (3%), so prioritize the schedule that you can actually stick to.

Supervised combined exercise and dietary interventions significantly improve glycaemic control, comorbidities, and quality of life in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients, with supervised exercise yielding superior outcomes to unsupervised regimens.

Do not rely on unsupervised exercise alone for T2DM management. Engage in a supervised exercise program combined with a personalized dietary plan (such as the Mediterranean diet). Supervised exercise has been shown to significantly improve blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight loss compared to unsupervised efforts.