Nordic walking improves hormonal concentrations in
senior women
A study of postmenopausal
women whose body mass index (BMI) was greater than 30.5 showed the benefits of
Nordic walking in improving their health indicators.
The parameters studied during the 10-week study included:
- Growth hormone (GH) (related to growth and repair)
- Luteinizing hormone (LH) (related to the pituitary gland)
- C-reactive protein (produced in response to inflammation)
- Total cholesterol
- Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
- High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (good cholesterol)
- Triglycerides (type of fat linked with fatty buildups in artery walls)
The
outcomes showed improvements in all the parameters. In general,
"improvement in muscle integrity and nutritional and inflammatory states,
suggesting chronic, regular exercise as an effective tool in protecting against
menopause-related catabolic [breaking down complex substances to release
energy] processes."
This
happens because Nordic walking engages more muscles. It's a full-body form of
exercise, and involving more muscles increases fitness.
