| Keywords |
Elderly women ; Outdoor exercise equipment ; BMI ; Fitness ; Metabolic syndrome |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of six weeks resistance exercise and combined exercise using outdoor exercise equipments in elderly women. Thirty two women were recruited and randomly assigned to control group(n=8), resistance exercise group(n=12) and combined exercise group(n=12). Resistance exercise group participated in resistance exercise using outdoor equipment(leg extension, pull down weight, chair pull) for 6 weeks, while combined exercise group participated in both resistance exercise program and aerobic exercise program using outdoor equipment(cross-country and sky-walk). Body composition, fitness and metabolic syndrome risk factors(glucose, triglyceride(TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), blood pressure(BP), waist circumference(WC)) were measured before and after six weeks exercise program. SPSS/PC + version 18.0 statistical software was used for the study. The results are as follows. First, both resistance exercise program and combined exercise program had a positive impact on body mass index, WC(p<.05) and fitness(p<.05). Secondly, 66.6% of participants had metabolic syndrome at baseline and 25% of participants had metabolic syndrome after the six weeks of intervention in combined exercise group(p<.05 vs. control group). In conclusion, both resistance and combined exercise program using outdoor exercise equipment significantly improved body composition and the level of fitness, however, prevalence of metabolic syndrome only reduced in combined exercise group. |