Average Obese Woman Gets 1 Hour of Exercise a Year

A new study suggests that obese women get just one hour of vigorous exercise a year, while obese men don’t do much better at fewer than four hours.
February 20, 2014

The findings startled the researchers, whose main focus was finding better ways to measure how much exercise people get.

“They’re living their lives from one chair to another,” said Edward Archer, a research fellow with the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “We didn’t realize we were that sedentary. There are some people who are vigorously active, but it’s offset by the huge number of individuals who are inactive.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three people in the United States is obese, a step above overweight. Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stoke, and some cancers.

The study, published recently in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, examined the results of a 2005-2006 government survey of adults age 20 to 74. Among other things, the survey tracked the weight, diet and sleep patterns of nearly 2,500 adults. Accelerometer devices were used to track their movements, providing insight into how much they exercised.

What kind of lives are the most inactive people living? “I think they’re living the typical life. They drive their children to school; they sit at a desk all day long. They may play some video games and then they go to sleep.” Archer said.

MY TAKE:
As shocking as this study seems, just walk through any airport terminal and you will see the reality. We are no longer the ugly Americans, we are the fat Americans.

Recently, on CBS national news, an MD spoke at length on the diminishing returns of exercising more than an hour a day. When asked which was better for your health, being a marathon runner or a couch potato. He said he could not really compare the two, but added that we were not made for running. The truth is we absolutely are designed to run. We are not designed to sit in chairs all day. The focus should be on increasing our exercise habits, not limiting them.

Regular exercise increases endorphins and enkelphins. These brain chemicals elevate mood and reduce pain. Just think about how much better you feel after that run on the beach or spinning class, even if you dreaded going beforehand.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Get off the couch and exercise. Find an activity that you enjoy, one that is engaging. I use a mix of running, biking and swimming, but tennis the sport that really engages me. If you are starting from square one, most communities offer a “Couch to 5K” class that will train you to run a 5K (3.1 miles) in 8 to 10 weeks.

The SMART Ride 10

This is a departure from my typical blog format. It’s a discussion about my health and well being. On Friday, November 15th, my wife and I will get on our bikes and pedal from Miami to Key West for The SMART Ride. The course is 165 miles over the course of two days and is rated as the “best ride in Florida”. If you’ve ever driven the overseas highway to Key West you can imagine how beautiful it is viewed from a bicycle at 18 miles an hour.

The obvious health benefits of training for four months can not be overstated. I rode over 1500 miles in preparation for this event. My training was basically two spinning classes a week and a long road trip every weekend. On the road, I varied the mileage from 40 to 65 miles, gradually building my stamina, then giving my body a break by dropping the distance once every 3 or 4 weeks.

The spinning classes added intensity. I found using a heart rate monitor invaluable, in addition to monitoring my RPMs, calorie burn, and distance over time. My goal each class was to get my heart rate above my aerobic zone (> 130 bpm) but below my Vmax (159 bpm), my maximum recommended heart rate.

Setting goals and then developing a plan to reach those goals also has health benefits. It is an ongoing process that forces you to frequently evaluate your performance against the standard you have developed. Increased interaction between the mind and physical body has been shown to delay or even reverse senile dementia.


However, I believe the most important aspect of this kind of endeavor is the selfless act of giving. SmartRide 10 is a charity event that benefits those living in Florida with HIV/AIDS. We were required to raise a minimum of $1250 per person to qualify for this ride. The cost of the ride is totally underwritten so 100% of the donations each rider raises go to specific organizations approved by a volunteer board. Everyone knows someone affected by this disease. In my case, I just remember close friends of mine who died way too young as I watched them waste away. In my mind, I see them smiling at me in support of my efforts. That feeling of love and caring, of working to help others, does more for my health and well being, than all the exercise of a life time. How fortunate am I, to have found a way to put it all into one package? – SmartRide 10.