• Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Login
Community Rec
  • Topics
    • Community
    • Facility Development
    • Programming
    • Operations
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Continuing Education
    • Community Rec Leadership Summit
    • Webinars
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
    • Case Studies
  • Podcast
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Community
    • Facility Development
    • Programming
    • Operations
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Continuing Education
    • Community Rec Leadership Summit
    • Webinars
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
    • Case Studies
  • Podcast
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
Community Rec
No Result
View All Result
Home Programming

Obesity Treatment: A Report on Fitness Versus Weight Loss

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko by Rachel Zabonick-Chonko
October 1, 2021
in Programming
0
obesity treatment
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The latest report on obesity treatment in iScience.

More and more, fitness centers are emphasizing the beneficial aspects of gyms beyond weight loss, including those related to mental health and overall quality of life.

A recent report on obesity treatment published in iScience supports this shift, finding that increasing fitness and physical activity were more effective for reducing health risks over weight loss.

According to researchers Glenn A. Gaesser and Siddhartha S. Angadi, the study supports a weight-neutral strategy for obesity treatment, due to the following findings:

  1. The mortality risk associated with obesity is largely attenuated or eliminated by moderate-to-high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) or physical activity (PA).
  2. Most cardiometabolic risk markers associated with obesity can be improved with exercise training independent of weight loss and by a magnitude like that observed with weight-loss programs.
  3. Weight loss, even if intentional, is not consistently associated with lower mortality risk.
  4. Increases in CRF or PA are consistently associated with greater reductions in mortality risk than is intentional weight loss.
  5. Weight cycling is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality.

What does this mean for fitness facilities and how they program for clients with obesity? According to Sabrena Jo, the director of science and research at ACE Fitness, the researchers challenge fitness professionals to think about shifting the primary focus away from losing weight, and instead focus on physical activity to improve fitness.

“So, focusing on all the immediate and long-term benefits of exercise and physical activity — e.g., improved mood, reduced anxiety, improved cardiometabolic health markers, and increased physical fitness and performance — would be areas for facilities to spend resources on promoting and tracking,” said Jo.

In fact, this approach could be beneficial to members across the board — with obesity, and without.

“Although the researchers didn’t discount weight loss, they made it clear that not focusing on it could be an important way to reduce the prevalence of weight cycling — repeatedly losing and then gaining back weight — which has been associated with increased risk of developing sarcopenic obesity, morbidity and mortality. In addition, not focusing on pounds on the scale could be liberating for so many people who have failed time and time again at the very difficult task of losing weight.”

Top Takeaways from the iScience report on obesity treatment, according to Sabrena Jo:

  1. First, the risk of dying associated with obesity is largely attenuated by cardiorespiratory fitness.
  2. Second, most cardiometabolic risk markers associated with obesity can be improved with exercise training, independent of weight loss.
  3. And third, weight loss is not consistently associated with lower mortality risk but increases in fitness and activity are.

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Tags: communityCommunity Reccommunity recreationfeaturedfitnessobesityprogrammingweight losswell-beingwellness
Previous Post

Fundraising in Nonprofit and Campaign Attributes

Next Post

How to Prepare for the Unexpected at Your Aquatics Center

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko

Rachel is the Editor-in-Chief of Peake Media. Reach her at rachel@peakemedia.com.

Related Posts

Padel
Column

Why Community Recreation Leaders Should Start Paying Attention to Padel

May 21, 2025
Newport County YMCA
Programming

New Golf Program at Newport County YMCA Provides Accessible Outlet for Recreation

March 31, 2025
JCC Greater Boston
Programming

Liane Weber on the Family Wing at the JCC Greater Boston

March 24, 2025
Kokomo Family YMCA
Operations & Facilities

Kokomo Family YMCA Capitalizes on Recovery Trend With New Sauna

March 10, 2025
Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges Sees Strong Response After Pickleball Center Opening
Facility Development

Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges Sees Strong Response After Pickleball Center Opening

February 24, 2025
Lakeland Hills YMCA
Programming

Lakeland Hills YMCA and Mountain Creek Resort Partners for GRIT ‘n Snow Program

January 13, 2025
Next Post
Prepare for the Unexpected

How to Prepare for the Unexpected at Your Aquatics Center

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Exposure Guide + Media Kit

May/June 2025 Issue

Get Updates in your inbox

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

Contact us at info@communityrecmag.com

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us

The Current Issue

The Latest from CO

  • Missoula Family YMCA: Immeasurable Spirit
  • Q&A on the Healthy Habits Program at the YMCA of Greater Boston
  • Empowering Connections: The Story of Upace and its Mission-Driven Platform
  • Building a Culture of Safety with Risk Management

© 2025 Community Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Community
    • Facility Development
    • Programming
    • Operations
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Continuing Education
    • Community Rec Leadership Summit
    • Webinars
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
    • Case Studies
  • Podcast
  • Buyer’s Guide

© 2025 Community Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.