Impact of acute exercise on the mood in middle-aged women

―A comparative study of the boxing exercise and yoga exercise―

Abstract

Objective of this study was to clarify acute influence of boxing exercise (BE) and Yoga on psychological state in middle aged women. The subjects were 40 middle aged women (20 in each program) who voluntarily participated in either class of BE program or Yoga program provided in local community. Psychological state was assessed using Profile of Mood States (POMS), composed of 6 subscales (Tension-Anxiety, Depression-Dejection, Anger-Hostility, Vigor, Fatigue, Confusion), before and after the class. The acute influence on the mood of each exercise program was examined by within group comparison of change using Wilcoxon test. Difference of change in the mood between the groups was examined by analysis of covariance using the change in the mood from before to after the class for the objective variable, groups for explanatory variable, and a value of mood before the class, age, and BMI for adjusting variables. As a result, the BE group showed significant positive within-group differences in the subscale of “Tension-Anxiety” and “Depression”. The Yoga group showed significant positive changes in “Tension-Anxiety”, “Depression”, “Anger-Hostility”, “Vigor”, and “Confusion”. The significant difference of change in the mood between the groups was observed in the subscale of “Anger-Hostility”, which showed negative change in the BE group and positive change in the Yoga group. These results showed that the BE and Yoga programs, composed of different mode (dynamic or static) of exercise, brought an acute changes in the mood in the middle-aged women, but that the pattern of the change in profile of the mood was different by the mode and intensity of the exercise program.