科研之友
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摘要
Background: The health benefit of structured exercise programs is evidenced by many studies. Yet, the health impact of lifestyle-oriented interventions including flexible and unstructured activities has only been addressed by a few studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the health effects of flexible compared to structured walking intervention with equal weekly activity volume. Methods: Two 15-week walking programs (structured vs. flexible) were compared in a cross-over-design. 29 sedentary subjects (16 women) aged 57.0 +/- 7.2 years with a baseline activity of 6931 +/- 2709 steps were assigned to two groups. The structured program included two monitored 10,000-step walks per week while the flexible program imposed an additional 3000 steps per day compared to each subject's baseline activity. The first intervention was followed by a 2-week training break. The number of steps was monitored by a pedometer during the whole intervention. Body weight (BMI) and walking-related fitness was assessed with a 2-km walking test at. the beginning and after each intervention. Results: Both programs led to a decrease in BMI (p < 0.01), and an increase in walking-related fitness (p < 0.01) during the first 15 weeks. No further changes were found during the second intervention phase. Conclusion: The findings indicate that both structured and flexible walking interventions lead to initial adaptations but cannot achieve further improvements in previously sedentary participants. The results suggest that there is no difference between walking interventions with equal amounts of physical activity.
- 出版日期2012
