[Effects of different steps of brisk walking on the fitness of middle-aged and old men]

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the effect of walking pace on the fitness of middle-aged and elderly people in order to provide more theoretical data for the development of entensive mass fitness based on the means of sports physiological and biochemical techniques.

Methods: The selected 80 middle-aged and elderly subjects were divided into three groups:brisk walking group A (n=30, 56.26 ±3.68 years), brisk walking group B (n=30, 57.65 ±4.78 years), and control group C (n=20, 55. 73 ±4. 18 years). Exercise group A:10 000~12 000 steps/day, a total of 16 weeks; walking group B:10 000~12 000 steps/day in the first 10 weeks, 14 000~15 000 steps/day in the last 6 weeks. Control group C:keeping the normal living conditions. The indicators were tested before the experiment and after the tenth week and the sixteenth week of the experiment. Test indicators included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, vital capacity, timed vital capacity, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Results: The levels of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride were decreased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01), while the vital capacity and high density lipoprotein cholesterol were increased significantly in both exercise groups afler 10 and 16 weeks compared with those in the same group betor test(P<0. 05, P<0. 01). The levels of diastolic blood pressure, timed vital capacity, serum triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in exercise group B after 16 weeks were significantly higher than those of exercise group A (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Ten thousand steps away every day can effectively improve the indexes of blood pressure, vital capacity, serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol of middle-aged and elderly men and it can further improve the indicator above by increasing the number of steps after 10 weeks.

Keywords: blood lipid metabolism; cardio-pulmonary function; different steps; male; middle-aged and elderly; walking step.