According to the findings of a recent study, concentrating less on scheduled exercise and more on incorporating numerous times of pleasant movements into the day will be more effective at achieving long-term weight loss.

The findings of the study were published in the 'Obesity Journal'.

This is the first research to indicate that a behavioral intervention centered on moving often throughout the day generates equivalent short-term weight reduction and superior long-term weight maintenance when compared to a large volume of aerobic treadmill walking (as in the previous study).

According to Dr. Jason Fanning, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, "This research is relevant for clinicians and other healthcare providers interested in supporting long-term weight loss among older adults, as well as for older adults who are personally interested in weight loss and avoiding weight gain." Fanning is the research's corresponding author, which means he wrote the paper himself.

Males and females from Forsyth County, North Carolina, and the neighboring regions were recruited for the research using newspaper advertising in the local community. In total, six rounds of recruitment took place between 2016 and January 2019, with the final round of follow-up taking place in September 2020. In this study, participants who were recruited in the first four waves completed processes prior to the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, whereas participants who were recruited in the final two waves performed procedures during the COVID-19 quarantine orders. Participants who completed research procedures before the COVID-19 quarantine orders are included in the analysis given.

A total of 183 men and women aged 65 to 85 years who were categorized as having obesity based on a body mass index of 30 to 45 kg/m2 were recruited. The typical participant was 70 years old, mostly female, well educated, and with hypertension and arthritis as being the most self-reported, common comorbidities. These qualities did not statistically differ across research groups.

Participants were randomized to undergo a group-based, nutritional weight loss program matched with one of three physical activity recommendations: aerobic exercise plus SitLess, which charged participants with moving regularly throughout the day; aerobic exercise alone; or SitLess alone. All participants received a Fitbit Alta activity monitor at least two weeks prior to the commencement of the intervention, and the device was coupled with a mobile health application that was customized to each intervention arm (mHealth app; the EMPOWER Companion App) (mHealth app; the EMPOWER Companion App). The app permitted interaction between group members and research staff between intervention sessions and was meant to support self-monitoring of exercise habits by giving group-specific, visual feedback of Fitbit activity data. Study evaluations were gathered by blinded research personnel at baseline, following the intense period of intervention (six months) and at the end of the maintenance phase (18 months) (18 months).

Group meeting attendance was 80 percent in weight loss and fitness, 84 percent in weight loss and aerobic activity, and 78 percent in weight loss, aerobic exercise, and fitness. Regarding organized exercise appointments, individuals in weight loss and aerobic exercise attended 79 percent of exercise sessions on average, whereas weight loss, aerobic exercise, and SitLess attended 65 percent. Average weekly application usage during the intense phase (weeks 1-24) and the complete research period (weeks 1-72) demonstrated that the weight loss, fitness, and aerobic exercise group had the greatest app usage compared to the weight loss and aerobic exercise group which had the least amount of app usage. Those who got the SitLess intervention tended to visit their app more frequently, which was predicted, given these individuals were taught to evaluate their activity patterns multiple times a day.

Counter to predictions, researchers discovered the weight loss, aerobic activity, and SitLess condition did not lose more weight or related to improved weight maintenance relative to weight loss and fitness or weight loss and aerobic exercise. Instead, only the weight loss and aerobic activity condition revealed considerably higher rebound comparison to weight loss and fitness.

"This is promising evidence that "moving more, more often" is advantageous for inclusion in weight reduction and weight maintenance programs for older persons. This sort of treatment option may be seen as more accessible and viable for persons pursuing sustained weight reduction as it does not involve scheduled exercise sessions and should be studied in future studies. Simplification of advice about exercise to "move more, more frequently" to sustain weight reduction is hopeful for clinical practice and public health initiatives moving ahead," said Alexandra Lee, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Kinesiology at The Pennsylvania State University. Lee was not connected with the research.

Other authors of the study include W.J. Rejeski, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC; I. Leng and J.F. Lovato, Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest University; and C. Barnett, M.F. Lyles, and B.J. Nicklas, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University.