EXERCISE AS TREATMENT FOR OBESITY

In recent times, our society has become less physically active, which undoubtedly has contributed to the increased incidence of obesity. Exe rcise training can reduce body weight of overweight individuals, but i n many cases the changes produced are small. A combination of regular physical activity, modest caloric intake, and reduced calories from fa t leads to slow but continuous weight loss and improves the potential for maintenance of weight loss. Regular physical exercise helps to pre vent the development of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension in o verweight individuals even if body weight is not completely normalized . Further research is needed to identify the optimal amount, type, and intensity of exercise for the maintenance of ideal body weight.