With the improvement of people's living standards, the number of obese people is increasing, and obesity has become one of the major epidemics today, seriously threatening human health. As a result, various weight loss methods have emerged. However, practice has proven that the best treatment for preventing and controlling obesity is still exercise.

    (1) Exercise prescription for obese children

    Sports activities: Activities that primarily involve body movement are recommended, such as long-distance running, walking, swimming, soccer, rope skipping, relay races, cycling, and recreational competitions. Those with access to indoor treadmills or exercise boards can also exercise.

    Exercise intensity: Due to their weight and poor cardiopulmonary function, obese children should not engage in excessive exercise. Using heart rate as a standard, exercise should reach 60%–70% of the individual's maximum heart rate. The heart rate can be slightly lower at the beginning of exercise, such as 100–110 beats per minute. Using oxygen consumption as an indicator, aerobic exercise intensity should generally be 50%–60% of the individual's maximum oxygen consumption.

    Exercise frequency: For obese children, exercise aims to reduce current body fat and cultivate a long-term habit of consistent exercise to achieve their ideal weight in adulthood. Appropriate exercise frequency prevents obese children from developing an aversion or fear of exercise and discontinuing their activity; generally, 3-4 times per week is suitable.

    Exercise duration: The duration of exercise should be determined based on the degree of obesity and the expected weight loss goals of the obese child. Generally, each exercise session should last no less than 30 minutes. There should be a 10-15 minute warm-up before exercise and a 5-10 minute cool-down after exercise. Furthermore, the timing of exercise is also important. Due to the cyclical changes in the body's biological rhythms, the same amount of exercise burns 20% more energy in the afternoon and evening than in the morning. Therefore, exercising two hours before dinner is more effective at reducing fat than exercising at other times.

    (2) Exercise prescription for obese young people

     Compared to obese children and middle-aged and elderly people, obese young people have better physical strength and greater tolerance to fatigue, so the intensity and amount of exercise can be appropriately increased.

    Sports activities include long-distance running, walking, swimming, rowing, mountain climbing, and aerobic exercises such as calisthenics, disco, and ball sports.

     Exercise intensity: Generally, exercise intensity should reach 50% to 60% of one's maximum oxygen uptake or 60% to 70% of one's maximum heart rate. Ideally, the heart rate should be controlled at 140 beats per minute for those aged 40, 130 beats per minute for those aged 50, and below 120 beats per minute for those over 60.

    Exercise frequency: Since obese young people often have a strong desire to lose weight and are more self-motivated, the frequency of exercise can be appropriately increased to improve the weight loss effect. Generally, exercising 4 to 5 times per week is advisable.

    Exercise duration: Each exercise session should last at least one hour, with the duration depending on your weight loss goals. The optimal time to exercise is two hours before dinner.

    (3) Exercise prescription for weight loss in middle-aged and elderly people

     As people age, the functions of various organs decline, especially for obese individuals. In particular, some obese middle-aged and elderly people often have various comorbidities. Therefore, safety should be given more attention when developing exercise prescriptions for middle-aged and elderly people.

    Sports activities include long-distance walking or hiking, jogging, cycling, swimming, mountain climbing, etc., supplemented by Tai Chi, table tennis, badminton, tennis, disco aerobics, etc.

    Exercise intensity: The heart rate during exercise should be 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate, which is approximately equivalent to 50%-60% of your maximum oxygen uptake. Generally, a heart rate of 140 beats/min is recommended for people over 40 years old; 130 beats/min for people over 50 years old; and below 120 beats/min for people over 60 years old.

    Exercise frequency: For middle-aged and elderly people, especially the elderly, the body's metabolic level is reduced and the recovery time after fatigue is prolonged. Therefore, the exercise frequency can be increased or decreased as appropriate, but it is generally advisable to exercise 3 to 4 times a week.

    Exercise time: Each exercise session should be controlled to 30-40 minutes, with afternoon exercise being the best. To improve physical fitness and health, middle-aged and elderly people should cultivate the good habit of exercising regularly throughout their lives.

    The relationship between obesity and exercise is very clear: the more you exercise, the faster you burn fat; the less you exercise, the more fat you store.