Does being fit neutralize the health risks of being fat? Until recently, research said yes - giving the green light to many post-workout bowls of Chubby Hubby ice cream, we suspect.

Hold that spoon. Being physically active is important, and applaud if you are (or you're trying). But a new 10-year study of nearly 39,000 women says that exercise by itself can't protect your heart against the dangers of extra pounds. Your body wants you active AND your weight healthy.

In the study, women who were overweight and active (walking about 10 miles a week) were 50 percent more likely to have a "coronary event," such as a heart attack or bypass surgery, than women who were normal weight and equally active. Being slender alone wasn't magic either. Normal-weight couch potatoes were 88 percent more likely to have heart problems than normal-weight women who were active.

Is this a wake-up call if you're physically idle but munch carrots in front of the TV? Or if you walk every day but then curl up with chips and dip? You bet. To avoid dangerous effects on your genes, you need a normal waist and an active life; both keep genes that make you healthy turned on. Conversely, belly fat - the killer, intra-abdominal kind that wraps around your vital organs - turns on genes that make you older. It also dumps chemicals into your bloodstream that harden arteries and promote heart-threatening blood clots.

Here are six simple ways to get your weight and activity in balance and make your RealAge (your physical age) younger. It's what we call a do-over. YOU can get one! It's not that hard and doesn't take that long. Here's what to do:

1. Be a stealthy, steady calorie cutter. Eat three meals plus snacks (hunger only encourages overeating!), but rein in calories by eating three-quarters as much as usual for six days. If you tend to eat because you're bored, mad, sad or anything other than actually hungry, doing this will help you switch back to eating when you're hungry, not when you're moody. Alternatively, try simply cutting out 100 calories a day. Switch from sweetened applesauce to natural, and you'll save nearly 100 calories per cup. Use a tablespoon less of canola oil for salads or sautes and add herbs for flavor instead. You'll never miss the calories and can lose 12 pounds a year.

2. Avoid these like poison, because for your genes and body they are: Don't buy anything that lists these among the first five ingredients on the label: saturated fat, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), syrups like high-fructose corn syrup, simple sugars (they end in ose, like sucrose and glucose), sugar alcohols (these end in ol, like mannitol), and enriched/bleached flour.

3. Eat plenty of these: fresh fruit, veggies, 100 percent whole grains. It's that simple, and you'll find them mostly along the periphery of the supermarket, so shop mostly there.

4. Walk for 30 minutes every day. Don't worry about going longer or faster right away: In one study of significantly overweight women, those who walked for 30 minutes five days a week lost weight at a rate similar to women who walked for 60 minutes.

5. One month later: Show some resistance. After 30 days of regular walking, kick it up. Twice a week, build muscle by lifting weights for 20 minutes. You can lift a dumbbell, a gallon of milk or a toddler ... just lift! Download our free workout at the "YOU: On a Diet" center on www.realage.com.

6. Rely on a tape measure, not the scale. Measure your waist while you're sucking in before you start step 1. Then, once a week, measure it again. Aim to get it into these ideal ranges: 321/2 inches or less if you're a woman, and 35 inches or less if you're a man.

The You Docs - Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz - are authors of the best-selling "You: The Owner's Manual" and "You: On a Diet." To submit questions and for more info, go to www.RealAge.com.