Exercise Boosts Daily Activity Beyond Workouts in Older Adults With Obesity, Study Finds
Key Clinical Summary
- In a 6-month randomized trial, calorie restriction alone did not improve non-exercise physical activity (PA) in older adults with obesity.
- Combining diet-induced weight loss with aerobic and resistance exercise increased daily non-exercise PA by 60.5 minutes.
- Findings underscore the need for structured exercise in obesity interventions for older adults.
Introduction
An analysis presented ObesityWeek 2025 highlights the distinct role of exercise in maintaining activity beyond formal workouts. Conducted among physically inactive older adults, the study compared calorie restriction alone with combined weight loss and structured exercise programs to evaluate changes in daily non-exercise physical activity (PA).
Study Findings
Researchers examined 46 older adults (mean age, 69.1 years; mean BMI, 35.9 kg/m²) who were randomized into 3 groups: health education control (HEC), diet-induced weight loss (WL), and weight loss plus exercise (WLEX). Participants in the WLEX group engaged in 180 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and 2 weekly resistance sessions for 6 months.
Using accelerometry data from the SenseWear Armband, investigators measured daily activity levels, excluding structured exercise time. Results revealed significant between-group differences in changes in light PA (R² = 0.61; P ≤ .05), moderate-to-vigorous PA (R² = .78; P ≤ 0.05), and non-exercise PA (R² = .73; P ≤ .01).
Post hoc analyses showed WLEX participants improved light PA by 48.3 ± 70.0 minutes/day and moderate-to-vigorous PA by 12.1 ± 19.3 minutes/day. In contrast, HEC participants decreased by 10.4 ± 37.4 and 5.0 ± 19.2 minutes/day, respectively (P ≤ .05). Non-exercise PA significantly increased in WLEX (+60.5 ± 70.9 mins/day) compared to both HEC (-15.5 ± 42.1 mins/day) and WL (-0.6 ± 39.7 mins/day) (P ≤ .05). No significant differences were observed in sedentary time or sleep duration.
Clinical Implications
These findings suggest that while calorie restriction can facilitate weight loss, it does not inherently improve overall movement or daily activity in older adults. Exercise, when added to dietary interventions, not only enhances structured activity but also encourages greater non-exercise movement—an important determinant of cardiometabolic and functional health.
For payers and managed care professionals, these results reinforce the cost-effectiveness of integrating structured exercise into weight management programs for older adults. By improving both exercise and non-exercise PA, such interventions may reduce health care utilization associated with obesity-related comorbidities and functional decline.
“These findings emphasize the importance of including exercise training in weight loss regimens in older adults to further combat and improve obesity-related health concerns,” said the authors.
Conclusion
Incorporating exercise into weight loss strategies for older adults yields broader benefits, extending beyond structured workouts to greater daily movement. The results highlight exercise as a critical component of comprehensive obesity management and healthy aging.
Reference
Brennan AM, Sparks LM, Goodpaster B. Weight loss with and without exercise on non-exercise physical activity in older adults with obesity. Presented at The Obesity Society’s ObesityWeek; November 4-7, 2025. Atlanta, Georgia.
