Positive effects of a qigong and aerobic exercise program on physical health in elderly Japanese women: an exploratory study

Takeshi Sakata,Michio Tanaka,Fumihiro Tajima,Qiming Li

doi:10.1007/s12199-008-0025-1

Takeshi Sakata, Michio Tanaka + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-008-0025-1

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Abstract

To determine the effects of a 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program on the physical well-being of relatively healthy elderly Japanese women. In the first study, 72 elderly Japanese women who were relatively healthy and naive to qigong completed the 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program. Physical function, body composition, and abdominal fat were evaluated. In the second study, we examined the effects of qigong alone on physical function. Twenty-nine participants in each of two groups (divided according to their residences) underwent a 12-week program: qigong and aerobic exercise (residents in Yura Town) or qigong exercise alone (residents in Mihama Town). In the first study, physical function including lung capacity, trunk bending, normal walking for 30 m, and rising from a supine position significantly improved after the 12-week program. In addition, body fat diminished significantly during the program. In the second study, both exercise programs ("qigong and aerobic" and "qigong alone") similarly increased walking speed (normal and maximum walking) and rising speed. The findings of this exploratory study demonstrated that a 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program was associated with improvements in physical function and a reduction in body fat. The qigong exercise program alone positively influenced physical function. The qigong program appears to be an appealing means of improving the physical health of elderly persons.

Highlights

Tajima Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, Wakayama, Japan program was associated with improvements in physical function and a reduction in body fat
The 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program significantly increased physical functions, as measured by lung capacity, stork stand, trunk bending, walking speed, and rising speed (Table 2)
It was considered that at least the positive changes on physical function in the first study were associated with qigong exercise alone. The results of this exploratory study indicated that a 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program was associated with improvements in physical function and a reduction of body fat in elderly Japanese women

Summary

Methods

72 elderly Japanese women who were relatively healthy and naive to qigong completed the 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program. Body composition, and abdominal fat were evaluated. We examined the effects of qigong alone on physical function. Results In the first study, physical function including lung capacity, trunk bending, normal walking for 30 m, and rising from a supine position significantly improved after the 12-week program. In the first study (in 2003), elderly women between 60–86 years old living in Yura Town, Wakayama, Japan, On the initial day of the 12-week exercise program, heights and weights of the participants were measured with a stadiometer and a calibrated balance scale. The study participants underwent evaluations of physical functions, body composition (bone mineral content (BMC), body fat, soft tissue lean mass), and subcutaneous and visceral fat in divided subgroups (each subgroup: 10–15 participants) during the week before and the week after the 12-week exercise program. Rising (s) represented the time in seconds that participants needed to stand upright from the supine position

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Conclusion