Photo courtesy of akeg

Exercise is an important factor in getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. I realize that, for many folks, that statement is about as necessary as “oxygen is an important factor in breathing,” but for some of us it is a tough pill to swallow.  For most people, exercise is not an enjoyable way to spend their time, and the thought of getting in the CDC suggested 30 minutes of physical activity every day is frequently so intimidating that they choose not to start an exercise regimen at all. Conversely, they may go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to one in which they are exercising so vigorously and regularly that they end up hurting themselves or becoming discouraged over the fact that the weight isn’t coming off as quickly as they hope it would.

The mentality that many dieters have that says that if they aren’t killing themselves with exercise they are doing it wrong is not only detrimental to their efforts, it is factually incorrect.  A new poll shows that even small amounts of exercise can lead to a reduction in obesity, and that people who exercise too much actually impede their weight loss efforts.

The 2009 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is a report based on a series of questions on health-related issues that were posed to roughly 280,000 individuals.  Unsurprisingly, the results showed that 35% of the individuals who said they did not exercise at all during the week were likely to be obese.  What was a bit more shocking, though, was that in individuals who only exercised 1 to 2 times a week the percentage of obese respondents dropped to 28%.  The lowest number of obese respondents exercised 5 to 6 times a week (19%), which was actually a slight improvement over the number of obese respondents who exercised every day (20%).

An important observation that comes from the results of this survey is the importance of emotional health in our overall well-being.  Even getting in a few days of exercise every week seems to have a positive impact on our overall emotional health, and that boost to our mood has an impact on our eating habits.  Pushing ourselves too hard to lose weight, though, can lead to frustration and actually increase the likelihood that we will fail.

If you’re just starting down the path towards healthy living, though, this report should give you hope.  You don’t have to go from not exercising at all to running an hour a day to have a positive impact on your weight.  Start slow, at a pace that is comfortable for you, and recognize the fact that — whatever amount of exercise you’re doing — it’s more than doing nothing.  Every little step you take towards your ultimate goal is one step more than you can take while sitting on your couch.