Oz's Top 5 Healthy Tips for Women

Feb. 6, 2009 — -- After helping the men of the "Good Morning America" fitness challenge work on the Top 5 things that will age them, Dr. Mehmet Oz returned to "GMA" today with a little help for the ladies.

Call it tough love, but the "You: Being Beautiful" author did not pull any punches when he told the women why it was so important for them to stay in shape.

"Women are particularly challenging because women generally will not take care of themselves and not for the reason men give," he said. "Men don't take care of themselves because they've got other things going on. Women don't take care of themselves because of self- esteem issues."

"That sounds harsh, but it's actually true. We've looked at it in multiple studies. And you don't think of it in that way, but you're always willing to put others first, because that's what mothers think they need to do."

But Oz said this habit could be harmful, not just for women, but for their children.

"They're going to treat themselves the way you treat yourself," he said. "If they don't see you taking care of yourself, when they become your age, they will do the exact same thing to themselves."

To help women kick bad habits and get back in shape, Oz offered five simple tips.

"When you have stress, you'll eat more and things you wouldn't normally eat," Oz said. "That's because we are hard-wired to equate stress to famine."

Oz suggested eating a small snack, like a handful of nuts, a half an hour before eating a meal so you're not starved when mealtime arrives.

According to Oz, good eating habits mean nothing if women don't have the muscle to back it up.

"If you don't have muscle mass you can't churn through calories. Remember, muscle, when it's being used, will burn 50 times more calories than fat will. So if you don't have muscle mass, you're never going to be able to keep the weight off, especially as you go through menopause," Oz said.