Study: 'Under-Exercising' May Be At Heart Of Obesity Epidemic

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Did you hit the gym for an hour today? Chances are your job wiped out any benefits from your workout. Fast food and super-sized soda take a lot of blame for American's bulging waistlines, but the biggest culprit could be your couch.

While you may not be overeating, if you sit all day at work and then go home and sit, like you might be right now, your workout probably just doesn't have enough punch.

Some people may not be exercising enough, but it's not the people inside TITLE Boxing Club Arlington.

Veronica Dibella said, "This is by far the most intense workout."

A new study says those exercising intensely are the exception rather than the rule.

Showing his moves on the bag Jackie Lopez said, "I love punching that thing, especially when you are stressed out about family, bills and work."

According to the study in the American Journal of Medicine, Americans are under-exercising, rather than overeating. Researchers from Stanford University say under-exercising may be at the heart of the obesity epidemic -- especially among women younger than 40.

Dibella suggested, "Women tend to have everybody else more important to them and not themselves."

One of the most startling findings in the study showed where researchers found that over the last few decades the percentage of people doing no exercise grew. In women it went from 19-percent to 52-percent. In men the numbers spiked from 11-percent to 43-percent.

Dee Henry is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. "We are on our phones. We are on our computers. We are doing things more from a sedentary type of setting."

Henry trains up to 25 people on most days and said diet and exercise go hand-in-hand.

"As you become more open to eating healthier foods, eating more frequently throughout the day, [and] making smarter selections, like cutting back on your sugars and fatty foods, that in turn will not only help you with your body on the inside but that's going to make you want to be more active as well."

Meanwhile the group at the TITLE Boxing Club are giving the not enough exercise news a jab, jab, punch!

Dibella admitted, "The thing with exercise it's usually last on the list of priorities."

A little more perspective – another study published Tuesday says that two hours of sitting cancels out the benefits of 20 minutes of working out.

Sigh…..

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