Ioannis Trigonis

Mood alterations following an indoor and outdoor exercise program in healthy elderly women.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-wk. recreational exercise program on mood state of 55 sedentary elderly women, ages 60 to 75 years, as well to examine the minimal amount of weekly exercise needed to produce these changes. The variables comprising mood state were Positive Engagement, Revitalization, Tranquility, and Physical Exhaustion. Subjects were allocated to three exercise groups (n = 15 each) and one control group (n = 10). Exercise was performed for 45 min. three times, twice, or once a week by one group each. Subjects were pre-and posttested on the selected variables. Those who participated three times a week had significantly more positive mood profiles than nonexercisers and those who exercised once a week, but profiles for those who exercised three or two times a week were similar. It is concluded that the groups improvement in both positive and negative affect corresponded to the frequency of exercise in their program. However, participation at least two times a week is necessary for significant mood alterations. Findings are discussed in terms of improvements in design and measurement and the need to focus research on multiple components of fitness in relation to mood state in an elderly sample.

The effects of a recreational exercise program with differentiated frequency on functional capacity and daily activities patterns in older women

The purpose of this study was, first, to evaluate the effects of a 12-week recreational exercise program on the level of physical abilities and on the level ofdaily activities of 55 sedentary elderly women, aged 60 to 75, and second, toexamine the minimal amount of exercise needed to produce these changes. Thevariables used to test the functional capacity were dynamic balance, muscularendurance, sit and reach flexibility, and muscular coordination. The variablesthat tested the daily physical activity (ADL) were 20 of the most habitual dailymovement activities among the elderly. The subjects were allocated to 3 exercise groups (n =15 each) and 1 control group (n =10). Exercise was performedfor 1 hour, 3 times, twice, and once a week for the 3 experimental groups, respectively. The subjects were tested before and after the 12-week exercise intervention on the selected variables. The effects of the 12-week training program were significant (p

The effects of an outdoor exercise program on mood states among the elderly.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of a 12-week outdoor recreational exercise program on the mood state of 45 sedentary elderly people aged 60 to 75. The variables comprising mood state were positive engagement, revitalization, tranquillity and physical exhaustion. Subjects were allocated to an exercise group (n=30) and a control group (n=15). Exercise was performed for one hour, two times a week, by the experimental group whereas the control group did not participate in any kind of exercise. Subjects were pre- and post-tested for the selected variables. The results show that the elderly who participated in the outdoor exercise program had significantly more positive mood profiles than non-exercisers, and the improvements in both positive and negative affect directly corresponded to their participation in the program. The findings are discussed in terms of possible future design and measurement improvements, and the need to focus research efforts on the multiple components of fitness in relation to mood state in the elderly.