Ryan: Well, let's go ahead and bring in our expert to weigh in on some of these health topics. She is an exercise physiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Welcome Melissa Mellady. Hi Melissa.

All right. So right out of the gate, what advice do you have, and there are a lot of people, like Jean, not to point Jean out ...

Jean: I know.

Ryan: ... but there are a lot of people like her that don't like to exercise. How do you motivate people?

Melissa: I think most importantly is we just need to move more and move often. So if you don't like to be on a treadmill, we just need to find something that you enjoy. That's one of the main reasons why somebody will adhere to an exercise program is if they like it.

Ryan: Yeah. So what about when you're rooting for the Hawks? You're getting a little exercise jumping up and down?

Jean: Well, usually it feels like I'm going to have a heart attack when I'm watching sports. So ...

Ryan: How many people in our country are obese, roughly?

Melissa: One in three. One in three people are obese right now.

Val: Really?

Melissa: One in three people are obese right now.

Ryan: Wow.

Val: What's considered obese?

Melissa: Obese is basically a body mass index over 30.

Val: Okay.

Melissa: So it is just a weight over height calculation, and it's astounding when you think of that statistic, and also the other third of our population is overweight. So we are looking at a country that is under a huge epidemic right now.

Ryan: Right, and now, you know, a lot of restaurants have [inaudible 1:28] the calorie counts, and in California it's been done for years.

Melissa: Yeah.

Val: I think in New York too.

Ryan: In New York, and now Starbucks is looking to put the calorie count on the menu, which I think is great because at least you know what you're consuming. Then you can make the rational decision. I know for me I've been at a restaurant and you wanted to order that thing, and then you look at the calorie count and you're like, "Wow, a thousand calories. I think I'll take the salad."

Melissa: Right.

Ryan: But it makes you make better decisions.

Melissa: Absolutely. It's all about just being more aware and more mindful of what you're doing. I think that's true for calorie counts, but also just for knowing about your movement during the day, which is why, you know, activity trackers and having things in your house ...

Val: You, as an exercise physiologist, you advise people to get those trackers, because I've seen people with them on their arms, sometimes on their chest or somewhere, just monitoring their heart rate. How exactly do they work, and do you trust them?

Melissa: Absolutely. Again, the most important thing is just to be more aware of what you're doing and to quantify what you're doing. So from the most basic level there's those little pedometers that you just put on your hip, and it kind of picks up on like stride lengths or whatever.

Val: Sure.

Melissa: Those are the most basic. That's just going to give you something that you're doing a daily basis. The next kind of step up would be an activity tracker that's an accelerometer. So it basically picks up on all movement. It's a wireless device that basically now will send all the information to your smartphone or online and give you that information.

Val: But doesn't that look awkward in your cute outfits?

Melissa: There are some that are the size of a thumb drive, very small that, you can put in your pocket or on your hip or even on your bra.

Val: I might do that.

Melissa: You know, I always tell some of my women that if you're not wearing slacks and you just want to put it on your bra, it's a nice place and nobody even knows you're wearing it.

Val: Sure.

Melissa: It's very discreet.

Ryan: That's where I keep mine.

Val: I want one of those.

Ryan: Let me ask you this. Does it matter when you work out? Like is it better to work out in the morning? Is it better to work out at night? Is it just you've got to get it in? Which way?

Melissa: You know, I will tell you that most regular exercisers are morning workout individuals, just because it's more your time. You know, at the end of the day you're tired, you're hungry. Your meeting goes long, and before you know it you're on the couch and you're ready to go to bed. So morning tends to be a really good time. But honestly, it's got to be your best time, the time that's going to work best for you, and just do it.

Val: I have a question for you. Now this may be a myth, and somebody told me this. If you exercise before you go to bed, literally right before you go to bed, and then lay down and sleep, in the morning you lose two to three pounds.

Melissa: Yeah, I don't think there's really much to that.

Val: Why am I wasting my time at night on the treadmill?

Ryan: Wikipedia you got me again.

Val: Somebody told me that. You guys have never heard that before?

Ryan: No, I've never heard that.

Val: I'm not kidding you. Somebody told me this. If you work out at night, go right to bed, by the time you get up in the morning, the scale will be two or three pounds lower.

Jean: Wow.

Melissa: You know, there are a lot of myths out there. I mean, honestly, that's what I spend half of my days doing is just kind of debunking some of these myths for my patients.

Jean: Well, I have a question. So just can you get enough exercise throughout your day ...