Overweight and Obese People Are Exercising More Than You Think

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 34 percent of the United States population is obese, which results in roughly 300,000 early deaths per year due to coronary heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Many obese individuals seek weight loss surgery procedures to lose the excess weight, but many of these patients are more active than many people give them credit for.

According to recent research more and more overweight and obese people are taking part in a regular exercise routine. Researchers surveyed the exercise habits of 175 individuals who had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater and were 40 years of age or older. Of the 175 people surveyed, 39 percent regularly exercised, 29 percent had been following an exercise regime for six months, and 25 percent were thinking about beginning to exercise. The results suggest that just because someone is obese or overweight doesn’t mean they aren’t exercising or contemplating exercising.

This trend indicates that obese individuals do not need to fear exercise. If you are considering bariatric surgery in Bradenton, Florida incorporating exercise into your daily routine does not need to be unthinkable. Of the 175 individual’s studied, those who exercised the most had the lowest BMI scores in the obese range. This verifies past research which indicated that the higher the BMI the less physically active people tend to be.

Nurse practitioners, who regularly see patients for routine health check-ups, have an opportunity to spur people to action who may be contemplating starting an exercise program. Even small steps such as encouraging obese people to start walking more or to purchase a pedometer to measure their movement daily are positive steps that can propel people toward a more successful exercise routine.