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Narrator:

It may not look like it, but Nancy Kearson (KEER-sun) is working out.

Nancy Kearson:

I did park further away, rather than closer, and I have the option to park closer.

Narrator:

The busy c-p-a has little time for the gym, so to get fit, she's incorporating physical activity, like walking, into her daily routine.

Nancy Kearson:

The five pound weights are now sitting next to the bed.

Narrator:

Those little changes could make a big difference in her health.

Noel Bairey Merz, M.D.:

Women should not be fooled that being thin is necessarily healthy.

Narrator:

in a new study of women, Doctor Noel Bairey Merz (No-EL BARE-ee MERZ) found that being sedentary may be a more important predictor of heart disease than being overweight.

Noel Bairey Merz, M.D.:

The lean women out there, that don't do any physical activity are at just as high a risk as a heavy woman who doesn't do any physical activity.

Narrator:

The study included 1,000 women of all shapes and sizes. Each was measured on physical ability.

Noel Bairey Merz, M.D.:

What were they able to do, what was their ability, for example, to climb a stairs, to vacuum their home, carry in the groceries? What we found was, in terms of predicting their cardiovascular health and also in terms of their death rate, that their fitness and their daily physical activity habits was a much more important determinant than their fatness.

Narrator:

So instead of stepping on the scale, go take a walk. For WebMD, I'm Sandee LaMotte.