Studies have consistently shown that 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week is essential to maintain a healthy weight. Now there's clear evidence indicating that amount of exercise is far less than people need in order to lose weight.

Recently released research has found that to lose weight people need to exercise for at least one hour almost every day. According to a study published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the more exercise an individual does every day, the more weight they'll lose.

In a two-year program involving 200 women, participants who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight exercised five days per week for an average of 68 minutes. That was 55 minutes longer than they'd been exercising before becoming involved in the weight loss study conducted at the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

In addition to walking on a treadmill for more than an hour most days, participants restricted their food intake to between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. This produced a dramatic change in the number of calories they burned off versus the number they consumed. The average participant began the program weighing 193 pounds. By burning an excess of 1,800 calories every week they lost about 20 pounds.

The overall health and well-being of the women who successfully participated in the program improved significantly as well. They lowered their blood pressure, enhanced their heart health and reduced their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The women in the study also developed a much higher level of self-acceptance.

In addition to diet and exercise, participants attended regular group meetings and received routine pep talks from a professional. This proved to be essential because after about six months, many of those struggling to lose weight started to relapse into their previous eating and exercise patterns. Having a support group and a counselor enabled participants to fight through that phase and stick with the program until they achieved success.

Many people who are overweight have difficulty motivating themselves to exercise at all, much less for the time required to successfully lose weight. There is mounting evidence from numerous studies showing success hinges on people participating in a one- to two-year weight-loss program that includes expert advice and group support for establishing and maintaining healthy diet and exercise routines.

These studies have consistently shown that healthy behavioral and psychological functioning relies on your ability to regulate your inner state. If you struggle with self-regulation, then you require external support for an extended period of time in order to learn how to steadily improve your ability to make healthier choices. Counseling can help you become better at reflecting on the triggers that automatically set off your subconscious impulses to engage in unhealthy behaviors. By identifying the unhelpful thoughts that allow your self-defeating behaviors to occur, you can learn to reprogram your thinking to keep your behaviors aligned with your goals.

Training in mindfulness can improve your motivation to engage in healthy daily behaviors as well as help you develop a new attitude that supports long-term self-regulation. By focusing your attention and awareness on the present moment, mindfulness enables you make conscious choices to create positive outcomes rather than allowing your old negative habits to control your behavior.

A growing body of evidence indicates that as much as 95 percent of your actions occur automatically - usually in response to anxiety and distress. That means only 5 percent of your behavior falls into the category of being conscious and self-directed. Increasing the amount of time you're able to be mindful of being proactive in achieving positive outcomes makes the difference between success and failure.

Giving yourself 60 to 90 minute breaks throughout the day to be mindful of what you're thinking, needing and doing is an incredibly effective method for improving your ability to self-regulate. Regularly orienting your mind to your goals helps you to make healthy choices at any given moment.

After increasing your awareness of what works for you to be able to make healthy choices to meet your needs and achieve your goals, it's important to develop daily rituals for incorporating those behaviors into your life. By doing the same thing every day at the same time and in the same way, you'll build a new set of automatic - but healthy - behaviors.

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Dr. Tom Muha is a psychologist practicing in Annapolis. His previous articles are archived on his Web site: www.achievinghappiness.com. He welcomes your comments and questions. To contact him, call 443-454-7274 or e-mail him at drtom@achieving happiness.com.