The effect of different bouts of exercise on weight loss in overweight indian female undergraduates

The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally and in India with lack of sufficient time for continuous exercise being one of the causes. Performing multiple short bouts of exercise has been introduced as an alternative method to reduce weight gain.

To determine the effects of different bouts of supervised exercise accumulated in 30 minutes on weight loss, in overweight Indian female undergraduate students, without dietary restriction.

Sixty otherwise healthy overweight female undergraduate medical students aged 18 to 25 years, with a body mass index (BMI) of25 to 29.9 kg/m² were randomly selected and divided into four groups of 15 students each as follows: Group I: Non-exercising group (controls); Group II: Participants performed one 30 minute bout of exercise (1 x30 =30min/day); Group III: Participants performed two 15 minute bouts of exercise (2x15 =30 min/day); Group IV: Participants performed three 10 minute bouts of exercise (3x 10=30min/day). Participants performed moderate intensity exercise using a bicycle ergometer for 16 weeks and their weight and Body Mass Index were measured before and after the exercise programs and statistically analyzed.

There was a significant weight reduction (p<0.05) in Group II, Group III and Group IV.

Our study revealed that there was significant weight reduction in participants who performed single or multiple bouts of exercise. The use of accumulated short-bouts of moderate intensity exercise can therefore be recommended to young overweight females who have difficulty doing a single long-bout of exercise.