Effect of Nordic Walking and Water Aerobics Training on Body Composition and the Blood Flow in Lower Extremities in Elderly Women

Abstract

Nordic walking and water aerobics are very popular forms of physical activity in the elderly population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of regular health training on the venous blood flow in lower extremities and body composition in women over 50 years old. Twenty-four women of mean age 57.9 (± 3.43) years, randomly divided into three groups (Nordic walking, water aerobics, and non-training), participated in the study. The training lasted 8 weeks, with one-hour sessions twice a week. Dietary habits were not changed. Before and after training vein refilling time and the function of the venous pump of the lower extremities were measured by photoplethysmography. Body composition was determined by bioelectrical impedance. Eight weeks of Nordic walking training improved the venous blood flow in lower extremities and normalized body composition in the direction of reducing chronic venous disorder risk factors. The average values of the refilling time variable (p = 0.04, p = 0.02, respectively) decreased in both the right and the left leg. After training a statistically significant increase in the venous pump function index was found only in the right leg (p = 0.04). A significant increase in fat-free mass, body cell mass and total body water was observed (p = 0.01), whereas body mass, the body mass index, and body fat decreased (p < 0.03). With regard to water aerobic training, no similar changes in the functions of the venous system or body composition were observed.

Analysis of the dynamics of venous blood flow in the context of lower limb temperature distribution and tissue composition in the elderly

“…Beraldo et al 14 described the possibility of using PPG in assessing the vascular bed. Similar studies were performed by Jasinski et al 2 in females with a diagnosed peripheral arterial disease. The authors observed that, after 8 weeks of physical activities, the quality of venous blood flow in the vessels had improved.…”

Effects of frequency, intensity, duration and volume of walking interventions on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials among inactive healthy adults

“…Four studies reported that walking was ‘self-paced’14 17 21 22 and seven studies noted that walking intensity was at a ‘brisk pace’ 13 16 33 34 41 42 48. In addition, two studies measured the intensity as walking speed44 50 and one study as HR,43 MET,46 RPE47 and ventilator threshold49 each.…”

“…The outcome measures were aerobic fitness expressed as VO 2max (mL/kg·min), body mass (kg), body fat (%), BMI (weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared), waist circumference (cm), waist-to-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg), total cholesterol (mmol/L), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (mmol/L), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (mmol/L), triglycerides (mmol/L) and fasting glucose (mmol/L). Outcomes for insulin resistance and inflammation-related serum cytokines,45 blood flow in lower extremities,46 arterial stiffness,48 postural stability,42 bone mineral density42 and biomarkers of endothelial function49 were not included in the meta-analyses because of insufficient number of comparisons (<10) (see Higgins and Se54). …”

Effect of aerobics on weight and fat mass loss in adult women: Systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The hand search of the references of all relevant studies identified one relevant study (Arslan, 2011). After removal of duplicates and exclusion of studies based on predetermined criteria, the final sample included 9 RCTs (Araújo et al, 2015;Arslan, 2011;Jasiński et al, 2015;Kantyka, Herman, Roczniok, & Kuba, 2015;Kin-Isler & Kosar, 2006;Melam et al, 2016;Nagle et al, 2007;Novaes et al, 2014;Park et al, 2003) and 5 uncontrolled clinical trials (Duzova et al, 2018;Hallage et al, 2010;Pilch et al, 2017;Ruiz-Montero, Castillo-Rodriguez, Mikalacki, Nebojsa, & Korovljev, 2014;Said, Lamya, Olfa, & Hamda, 2017), the overview of which is shown in Table 2. The final sample included studies published primarily in Europe, Asia, North and South America.…”