Thai Yoga (TY), has been recommended by the Public Health Ministry of Thailand for keeping people fit. There is little known about the physiological demand it places on those practicing it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine i) the exercise intensity of TY indicating by both absolute intensity (i.e. MET) and relative intensity (i.e. percentage of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2,max) and heart rate (HRmax)) and ii) the impact it has on the cardiovascular system and energy expenditure. Fourteen healthy adults ranging in age from 50 to 65 years performed 30-minute TY and exhaustive cycling exercise (to indicate maximal oxygen consumption) sessions one week apart. Mean of MET and the percentage of mean of VO2 and HR during TY to VO2,max and HRmax were found to be 1.51±0.43 METs, 35.5+/-11.9 ml/kg/min and 50.0+/-8.6 /min, respectively. The decreased HR was observed from baseline to warm up and the peak rates of energy were found to be expended in the standing posture. Results indicate that TY may be considered a very light- to light-intensity exercise. Performing longer duration in standing posture may improve cardiovascular fitness for older adults. Moreover, the relaxation component during warm up may improve psychological well-being.
[Purpose] This research aimed to investigate the relationship between aerobic capacity
(VO2,peak) and cardiovascular risk factors in normolipidemic and dyslipidemic
Thai men and women. [Subjects and Methods] We recruited 104 dyslipidemic and 100 healthy
participants. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for lipid and blood glucose levels.
Anthropometry, blood pressure, and body composition were measured before exercise. Each
subject underwent exercise testing to determine VO2, peak. Heart rate (HR) was
recorded throughout the exercise test. [Results] Dyslipidemic participants had a lower
VO2, peak than normolipidemic participants (p<0.01). In normolipidemic
male participants, VO2, peak was positively correlated with high density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and negatively correlated with low density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol (TG/HDL-C)
ratios; in females, VO2, peak was negatively correlated with age, total
cholesterol, and LDL-C. In dyslipidemic males, VO2, peak was positively
correlated with HDL-C levels and negatively correlated with age, LDL-C and TG levels, and
percent body fat; in females, VO2, peak was positively correlated with resting
HR and heart rate recovery and negatively correlated with age, TG/HDL-C, and waist
circumference. [Conclusion] There was a relationship between aerobic capacity and
cardiovascular disease risk factors in both normolipidemic and dyslipidemic participants.
This relationship was affected by gender.
Regular exercise is associated with the production of small amounts of oxidative stress which might promote individual antioxidant capacity contributing to favorable training effects potentially interrelated with skeletal muscle strength. Therefore, the present study was aimed at evaluating effects of an 8-week Qigong exercise training on muscle strengths associated with responses of oxidative stress and antioxidants in young sedentary females. A total of 41 sedentary women were allocated to the Qigong exercise group (QG, N= 20) or to the control group (CG, N= 21). After 8 weeks of Qigong training, back and leg strength was significantly improved compared to baseline and the CG (P< 0.05). Plasma oxidative stress levels were reduced and total antioxidant capacity was enhanced in the QG compared to the CG (P< 0.05). Correlation analyses revealed that improvements in muscle strength (including both groups) were associated with changes in the levels of oxidative stress (reduction) and antioxidants (elevation). The presented findings indicate that strength training effects seem at least partly to be interrelated with alterations of the oxidant-antioxidant balance generated by the 8-week Qigong training in young sedentary females.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.