Introduction: Insufficient physical activity constitutes one of the most problematic issues in the contemporary society. Data show that seniors should take up physical activity as it considerably affects their health and quality of life. Material and method: The study included 76 individuals over 60 years of age who actively participated in social life (Senior Clubs, Country Housewives' Clubs, Folk groups) in southeastern Poland. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Timed Up and Go Cognitive Test (TUG cog), 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), right and left handgrip test, Functional Chair Stand Test (FS test), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were applied in the study. Results: It was revealed that male participants (p=0.001), individuals being in a relationship (p=0.02) and subjects who had never had any fractures before (p=0.02) demonstrated higher levels of physical activity. In the examined group, a higher level of physical activity significantly correlated with a higher level of muscle strength of lower limbs (p=0.32) and left handgrip strength (p=0.26), shorter time of covering the distance of 10 metres (p=-0.23) and a higher level of cognitive capabilities (p=0.29).

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of yoga on heart rate variability in patients with breast cancer in an outpatient rehabilitation program. Material and methods: Eighty-four patients with breast cancer were eligible for this study. After the exclusion of 7 women, participants were randomly allocated to a yoga exercise program (group A, n=33) and Pilates exercise program (group B, n=44). Heart rate variability parameters were evaluated at baseline, after six and twelve months of yoga exercises. Results: After twelve months of performing yoga exercises, standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) improved by 5.53 ms (p<0.001), square root of the mean of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR interval (RMSSD) improved by 4.91 ms (p<0.01), total power (TP) improved by 279.78 ms2 (p<0.001), very low frequency (VLF) improved by 109.76 ms2 (p<0.01), low frequency (LF) improved by 88.38 ms2 (p<0.01), high frequency (HF) improved by 77.60 ms2 (p<0.05), and stress index (Si) improved by 137.24 c.u. (p<0.01). Based on the results after 12 months, women in group A showed significantly better results compared to group B in SDNN by 3.28 ms (p<0.05), RMSSD by 3.34 ms (p<0.05), TP by 170.33 ms2 (p<0.05), HF by 64.33 (p<0.05), and Si by 56.49 c.u. (p<0.05). Conclusions: Performing the yoga exercise program resulted in an increase of the parasympathetic and baroreflex effects on the cardiovascular system and a decrease in the tonic effects of the sympathetic nervous system. Yoga should be considered as an effective tool in normalizing the functional state of the autonomic nervous system. breast cancer, heart rate, pilates, yoga