The effect of 2 walking programs on aerobic fitness, body composition, and physical activity in sedentary office employees

Abstract

PurposeThe present study examined changes in body composition, maximum oxygen uptake, and physical activity in sedentary office employees prescribed with two different walking programs during a 10-week intervention.Methods68 sedentary employees were randomly assigned to one of three groups: multiple bouts of walking (n = 24 (5 male, 19 female) Age = 46±9, BMI = 30.5±5.78 kg/m2), continuous walking (n = 22 (6 male, 16 female) Age = 48±9, BMI = 30.6±6.2 kg/m2) and the control group (n = 22 (5 male, 17 female) Age = 42±10, BMI = 27.5±5.23 kg/m2). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (iDXA) assessed body composition and a Bruce protocol treadmill test assessed aerobic fitness at baseline and week 11. At baseline, week 6 and week 11 a waist worn accelerometer measured physical activity and sedentary behavior. Physical activity was measured throughout the program with a wrist worn accelerometer.ResultsThe results from the mixed-design ANOVA show that fat mass (p < .000) and fat percentage (p < .000) decreased for all three groups as a main effect of time. Sedentary behavior did not change (p>0.05) for all three groups. Moderate intensity physical activity increased significantly from pre-test to week 6 (p<0.05), then decreased from week 6 to post-test (p<0.05), with no significant changes observed from pre-test to post-test (p>0.05) for all groups. No changes in VO2 were observed (p>0.05) for all groups.ConclusionsContinuous or intermittent walking activity produce similar benefits on body weight, fat mass and body fat percentage in sedentary employees. Meanwhile, intermittent walking allowed these sedentary employees to increase lean mass and fat free mass. Intermittent walking could provide at least similar benefits on body composition compared to a continuous walking program.

Effects of Brisk Walking on Plasma Lipoprotein(a), Total Antioxidant Status, Aerobic Fitness, Percent Body Fat, Waist Circumference and Resting Blood Pressure in Overweight and Obese Females

“…Another recent study also demonstrated that a 10-week intervention of either intermittent walking or continuous walking did not affect the aerobic fitness among sedentary adults. 23 In contrast to the present findings, there were studies which have shown an improvement in aerobic fitness following a prescribed training programme. Paillard et al 24 reported that a brisk walking programme for twelve weeks resulted in a significant improvement in VO2max, and loss of fat mass in healthy ageing individuals.…”

“…9,30 A 10-week intermittent or continuous walking interventions resulted in significant reductions in body weight, total fat mass, and body fat percentage among sedentary adults. 23 In addition, a meta-analysis by Murphy et al 12 indicated that studies with well-controlled walking programmes resulted in significant body fat reductions. Schjerve et al 17 also reported a decrease of 2.2-2.5% body fat after 12 weeks of moderate or high intensity training.…”

Effects of Accumulated Short Bouts of Exercise on Weight and Obesity Indices in Adults: A Meta-Analysis

“…Another unique feature of the present study was its methodological quality: The average score of the Downs and Black checklist of included studies was 21.78 + 2.16, within a range from 19 to 26. The studies examined in this meta-analysis were assessed as being of fairly high quality, with 1 study classified as "fair" (15-19), 10 studies classified as "good" (20)(21)(22), and 7 studies classified as "very good" (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28). 31 This meta-analysis demonstrated that accumulated short bouts of exercise can reduce obesity indices in adults.…”

“…Therefore, future studies should examine the impact of accumulated short bouts of exercise on other health outcomes (eg, cardiovascular fitness, hypertension, and diabetes). Additionally, only 2 of the studies included 21,28 examined bouts lasting <10 minutes (ie, 5 or 6 minutes), meaning that the effect of accumulated bouts lasting <10 minutes may not be generalized. Therefore, caution should be exercised in interpreting the efficacy of accumulated bouts lasting <10 minutes for reducing obesity.…”

“…In addition to this review, there has recently been an increase in the number of studies assessing the effects of accumulated short bouts of exercise on obesity indices. For example, several studies have examined the effects of accumulated short-bout exercise interventions on weight loss, [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] body mass index (BMI), 11,12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][25][26][27] body fat percentage (BF%), 11,14,15,[18][19][20]24,28 fat mass (FM), 13,15,18,20,28 WC, 11,15,16,18,[22][23]…”