Activity isn’t a big part of the day for the morbidly obese

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Most people, safe to say, struggle to get their 10,000 steps in every day. But for the morbidly obese, that struggle is even tougher.

A new study published in the March issue of the journal Clinical Cardiology found that morbidly obese people — those with a body mass index of 40 or more — may be sedentary for more than 99% of the day, engaging in moderate exercise on average for only a brief time.

Despite being inactive for an average of about 23 hours and 52 minutes, the study participants managed to get in some activity. Over the course of about 8 1/2 minutes, they averaged 3,763 steps, and mean calorie expenditure was 2,668 calories per day. Each person wore a device on an arm for 72 hours that tracked movements and calorie expenditure. The biggest effort by one person was 28 minutes of moderate exercise, but 20% of the participants were sedentary the entire time.

Low levels of activity meant lower levels of cardiovascular health. Researchers found that the participants were at such a low fitness level that they were akin to people with Class II to Class IV levels of heart failure as classified by the New York Heart Assn.

A few things should be taken into consideration with this study. One, it was a very small sample of people — 10 — so results should be considered preliminary. Second, researchers said that the short study period might not have adequately reflected a standard daily routine. Also, wearing the armband sensor may have inspired participants to change normal habits.

Still, that 99% figure points out how far behind this population is in getting the recommended amount of exercise. It’s also a wake-up call for people of every weight who don’t move for the majority of the day.

— Jeannine Stein