Moderate intensity physical activity such as walking may be helpful in maintaining weight loss for some, according to research presented at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
Study subjects who engaged in high-intensity aerobic exercise lost no more weight than “lifestyle activity” participants, and were less likely to maintain their fitness improvements a year later.
The four-year study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, involved 104 women and 20 men who were 15-50 pounds overweight—bordering on obesity. All followed a low-fat, moderately restricted diet for four months, choosing from among options allowed by dietary guidelines.
Participants were randomly placed into one of three exercise groups and engaged in:
- Traditional aerobic exercise, (40-minute sessions, four days a week);
- Short-bouts aerobic exercise (10-minute sessions, four times daily, four days a week), or
- Lifestyle activity, accumulating at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day.
Those engaging in traditional aerobic exercise made greater gains in fitness than the other groups, but all three groups saw similar weight-loss results.
Following the four-month program, participants were monitored for an additional 12 months. All groups were encouraged to keep up their activity levels but were also allowed to pursue activity or exercise of their choice.
“If your goal is fitness, then traditional aerobic exercise may offer the best return,” said study coordinator Shawn Franckowiak. “If you’re looking for weight loss or health benefits such as controlling blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes, then the novel approaches we tested may be a promising alternative to traditional exercise.