Obese women exercise on average just one hour each year

Obese women engage in vigorous exercise for an average of one hour every year, researchers from the University of South Carolina discovered in a recent study.

According to the researchers, vigorous activity means activity that burns fat, such as jogging or jumping rope. The researchers derived their study details from a government survey conducted in 2005-2006 that included 2,600 individuals, aged between 20 and 74. The researchers studied the weight, dietary and sleeping habits of the participants, as well as their exercising schedules.

The results revealed that obese men exercise for an average of 3.6 hours every year, and obese women less than a third of that.

"They're living their lives from one chair to another," Edward Archer, one of the study authors, told HealthDay. "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."

The CDC guidelines recommend exercising for 150 minutes every week at a moderate aerobic level, or 75 minutes per week at a vigorous level.

The researchers suggest 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week in order to curb obesity and promote fitness. Besides weight-reduction benefits, exercising also helps to reduce risks associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke and obesity-related cancers, Archer said.

However, some health experts criticized the definition of vigorous activities set by the researchers, claiming that such exercise may not be safe for many obese people. Those who can't take part in vigorous activities can go for lighter or moderate exercises like yoga or swimming, they said.

"People don't understand that (you) don't have to go to the gym and lift weights and run marathons to have dramatic impacts on your body. Standing rather than sitting, walking rather than taking your car, they have huge impacts on your health over time," Archer said.