According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity in the country among adults is around 40 percent. They estimate that over 93 million adults are considered obese.

Massage—anything this good must be fattening, right? Wrong! Scientists now confirm what massage therapists have always known: massage can be a powerful and effective weight-loss tool. By improving your body’s resilience, aiding muscle nutrition and flexibility, and supporting your mental and emotional well-being, massage can take your weight-loss plan to a whole new level.

Better Weight Assessment

To the ancient Greeks, every physical symptom was seen as a visitation from the gods. Whatever afflicted the body was divine, a holy messenger, a whispered secret from the guardian spirits alerting us that the soul was in need of a course correction. The ailments of the body were really cures for the soul. And whatever cured the soul was the fundamental and necessary medicine for the body.

National obesity figures are at an all-time high — and growing. Weight is no longer just a personal problem; it’s a national problem requiring immediate attention. In California alone, obesity is costing the state $22 billion per year.¹ That’s in California — a state we all imagine being populated with the healthiest people in the country.

Downhill hiking has a host of health benefits, including reducing blood sugars and improving glucose tolerance, say Austrian researchers. Uphill exercise shortens muscles as they work, while downhill walking requires muscle groups to actively resist stretching. This is especially good news for those with, or at risk for, diabetes, which can make aerobic forms of exercise more difficult. Diabetics can still get exercise that will help manage their disease, and downhill walking may provide a springboard for more vigorous workouts down the road.

Even though you burn less calories sleeping, a recent study found that those who sleep less than seven hours a night had an increased risk of obesity. Researchers from Columbia University discovered that sleep deprivation lowers a protein that suppresses hunger and increases another that boosts the desire to eat. The study, which included 18,000 people, concluded that the group at greatest risk was those individuals receiving less than four hours of shuteye per night.

New dietary guidelines recently put forth by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture suggest Americans should eat more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Published every five years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 acknowledges that most Americans are overweight, but that obesity can be curbed by the consumption of 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and at least three servings of grains (whole wheat, oats, or brown rice).

Eating breakfast can result in fewer total calories for the day, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers at the University of Texas in El Paso analyzed the weekly food diaries of nearly 900 adults. They consistently found that when more calories were eaten in the morning, calorie intake for the entire day was less in those subjects who skipped breakfast. And the more calories consumed in the evening, the larger the daily calorie intake.

Having trouble sticking to your New Year’s resolution to exercise? Quit fretting about it and just start walking. According to a recent study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, regular exercise (such as walking) reduced mortality risk by 35 percent. For those who had high risk of heart disease, the decreased risk was even higher at 45 percent. And even obese subjects who were active had a lower risk of dying sooner.