In this review we found that exercise interventions ( or lifestyle activities ) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health .
CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives , by developing home-based exercise programs that require few re sources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle .
The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise
BACKGROUND Participation in regular physical activity is among the most promising and cost effective strategies to reduce physical and cognitive decline and premature death .
However , confusion remains about the amount , frequency , and duration of physical activity that is likely to provide maximum benefit as well as the way in which interventions should be delivered .
AIMS This paper aim ed to review research on the impact of leisure-time and general physical activity levels on physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women .
Heart Rate Variability Characteristics in Sedentary Postmenopausal Women Following Six Months of Exercise Training: The DREW Study
Background Decreased heart rate variability ( HRV ) is associated with a higher risk of mortality . Overall , postmenopausal women have lower levels of HRV than premenopausal women , which may be additionally complicated by lifestyle related behaviors such as physical inactivity and obesity . Though cardiorespiratory exercise training increases HRV , little is known regarding the exercise dose necessary to promote this improvement . Methodology /Principal Findings Our primary aim was to measure HRV in post-menopausal women following 6-months of exercise training . We examined supine resting HRV in 373 post-menopausal women ( 45–75 y ) after 6-months of r and omly assigned and double-blinded administered exercise training exercise training at 50 % , 100 % and 150 % of the NIH Consensus Development Panel 's recommended minimal physical activity level . This corresponded to 4 , 8 , or 12 kcal/kg per week ( KKW ) of energy expenditure . At baseline , we observed no significant differences in HRV or hormone replacement use between treatment groups . However , we did observe that Caucasian women and those taking antidepressant medications had lower levels of baseline HRV . After 6-months of exercise intervention , we observed a dose dependent increase in all parasympathetically derived time and frequency domain measurements across exercise groups after adjustment for age , ethnicity , antidepressants , and baseline rMSSD ( all , P<0.001 ) . For example , the parasympathetic index rMSSD was greater than control ( 23.19±1.0 ) for the 4-KKW ( 25.98±0.8 ; P = 0.14 ) , 8-KKW ( 27.66±1.0 ; P<0.05 ) , and 12-KKW ( 27.40±0.0 ; P<0.05 ) groups at follow-up . Conclusions / Significance Moderate intensity exercise training exercise is sufficient to improve HRV in previously sedentary postmenopausal women in a dose-dependent manner , as 4-KKW is insufficient to improve parasympathetic indices of HRV , while 12-KKW conferred no greater improvement than 8-KKW . Trial Registration Clinical trials.gov NCT
In this review we found that exercise interventions ( or lifestyle activities ) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health .
CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives , by developing home-based exercise programs that require few re sources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle .
The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise
BACKGROUND Participation in regular physical activity is among the most promising and cost effective strategies to reduce physical and cognitive decline and premature death .
However , confusion remains about the amount , frequency , and duration of physical activity that is likely to provide maximum benefit as well as the way in which interventions should be delivered .
AIMS This paper aim ed to review research on the impact of leisure-time and general physical activity levels on physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women .