Why Is Exercise Lower in Obese Americans?

Thanks to the media and its fixation on the obesity problem in America, everyone knows that the two top contributing factors to obesity are poor diet and lack of exercise. Knowing that eating foods high in calories and fat and not being active enough to burn off what is eaten contributes to obesity, you'd think that overweight people would work out more. Yet those who seem to need it most exercise less than others.

Physical Limitations

• An obese person has a reduced capacity for physical exertion. After years or even possibly a lifetime of not working out, his muscle tone is poor and cardiovascular abilities are diminished. Personal trainers such as Matt Siaperas say that when an extremely overweight person comes to him for help losing weight, typically he'll get winded just walking up a flight of stairs. Siaperas says that often knowing how little he's capable of starting out leads an obese person to think he won't be able to exercise enough to lose weight, and that keeps him from exercising at all.

Emotional Issues

• Whether a person is obese due to her lifestyle or because of genetics, emotions play a large part in beginning an exercise regimen that will lead to weight loss. In the 2012 book "The Obesity Reality: A Comprehensive Approach to a Growing Problem," Naheed Ali, M.D. writes that someone who is obese could suffer from body-image issues because of the great value society places on physical perfection -- specifically a slender body. Lack of emotional and motivational support to exercise and get fit creates another roadblock for overweight people.

Societal Perceptions

• It's long been accepted that overweight Americans just lack the willpower to be anything else but overweight. In his 2010 book "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It," Gary Taubes writes that as early as the 1920s, obesity was blamed on the unwillingness of overweight people to make an effort toward improving their health and fitness. When society makes the excuse readily available -- that you don't have a strong-enough mind and the self-discipline to begin an exercise program -- it's easy to reject exercise and just accept your weight problem.

Changing the Point of View

• Changing an obese person's perceptions about what is valuable and possible with exercise is key, along with providing motivational support. Personal trainer Matt Siaperas points to the success he's seen in group or one-on-one training classes. Setting small, reachable goals is where personal trainers should start, such as having an obese client walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes to begin with and increasing time and speed as his fitness improves. When an overweight client sees that he won't be expected to complete an impossible fitness task, he starts feeling more comfortable being in a gym. The support and encouragement he gets from the trainer are constructive motivators, but once the pounds start dropping off and his fitness starts improving, he'll notice that he's feeling better about himself and physically, too. If a client will stick with exercise long enough to see those payoffs, the payoffs become the motivators, and he's more likely to continue with an exercise regimen.