U.S. workout rate is inching up

More Americans are getting up off the sofa and exercising, but a lot more progress is needed to persuade millions of slackers to start sweating a bit, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

In 2005, 46.7% of U.S. women and 49.7% of U.S. men engaged in regular exercise on a weekly basis, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on a survey of 356,112 adults nationwide.

That represents an 8.6% increase in the rate among women and a 3.5% rise among men from a similar survey in 2001.