Effects of a Nordic Walking Exercise on Functional Fitness, Flexibility and Balance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Nordic walking exercise on body composition, functional fitness, range of motion （ROM），dynamic balance in community-dwelling older adults.Nineteen healthy adults （11 women and 8 men, age 71±6 yr） volunteered to participate in this study （N-group）．Control group was fifteen subjects （8 women and 7 men, age 68±5 yr） who participated conventional walking exercise （W-group）．Both groups participated in a 12-week supervised exercise program, 60min/d （main exercise 30 to 40 min/d），and 3d/wk. After 12-weeks of program, functional fitness （lower and upper body muscular strength, lower and upper body flexibility, agility, balance and aerobic endurance） increased in either group; however the improvement of lower and upper body muscular strength and lower body flexibility was significantly higher in N-group compared to W-group. Both groups increased ROM （shoulder, hip, ankle dorsiflexion） but did not changed on limits of stability （LOS）．These results indicate that both types of walking exercises are beneficial in older adults, however the Nordic walking exercise showed additional benefits in muscular strength and lower body flexibility compared to the conventional walking exercise.