A good friend of mine said to me recently that because she didn’t have a whole lot of time, she just assumed not exercise because she wouldn’t be able to get in a “full workout.” In some respects, I can understand this. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right,” as the saying goes, right? But how often have we heard that a little exercise is better than no exercise? Too many times to count. Yet if more people put that bromide into practice, there’d likely be far less obesity in the country.

For the severely obese, exercise can be something of a non-entity. Not only is it difficult for them to move, but many of them have those little devil-like creatures on their shoulders; the ones often seen on old television shows and cartoons. These devilish creatures peddle in invective, uttering self-defeating nostrums like, “Why exercise? Why bother? You’re too big to lose weight. Why start now?” Like the friend of mine who didn’t want to exercise because she didn’t have a lot of time, this kind of thinking can lead the severely obese to abandon exercise entirely, having no real patience or faith that their efforts will do much of anything.

But researchers say that exercising as little as one hour a week brings great gains in other aspects of life. In other words, the mere attempt at exercising can yield dividends.

Researchers from Duke University analyzed and tested about 1200 people who were severely obese (at least 100 pounds overweight) and found that among those who made attempts at exercising, they reported a better overall quality of life (i.e. they enjoyed their lives more) than those who made no such attempts. In addition to that, the tasks that you and I take for granted – tying our shoes, putting on our clothes, standing up and sitting down – the severely obese became better at performing those daily tasks over time. The researchers presented their findings to the Obesity Society in Phoenix, Arizona recently. The Obesity Society was formed in 1982; its stated aim is to “encourage research on the causes and treatment of obesity” as well as to “better understand, prevent and improve the lives of those affected.”

“This supports what we’ve been teaching for years – no amount of exercise is too little to have an impact,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Martin Binks, the director of Duke University Medical Center’s Diet and Fitness Center.

Binks also said that while the exercise participants didn’t have a great range of motion, they nonetheless reported a great appreciation for life because they felt better.

This goes to show that there’s no such thing as too little exercise; there’s no such thing as a need to get a “full workout.” Sure, we exercise nuts would like to do our full routine as often as possible. When time doesn’t allow it, it might be tempting to skip out on it, foolishly falling victim to an “all or nothing” mentality. The truth of the matter is that every little bit counts and even a little bit will make you feel better than going without it entirely. Remember that the next time the need to skimp arises. Skimp away, just don’t walk away (from exercising, that is).