Evaluation of required motor abilities in commonly practiced exercise modes and potential training effects among adults.

Background: There is a lack of knowledge of the motor abilities required in different exercise modes which are needed when counseling sedentary middle-aged people to start a physically active lifestyle.

Methods: Nominal group technique was used to establish the consensus statement concerning motor abilities and physical fitness in 31 exercise modes.

Results: Walking, running, jogging, and calisthenics were regarded as the most suitable exercise modes for most people with no specific requirements.

Effect of brisk walking in 1 or 2 daily bouts and moderate resistance training on lower-extremity muscle strength, balance, and walking performance in women who recently went through menopause: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: Menopause may induce a phase of rapid decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance, especially in sedentary women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects and feasibility of an exercise program of 1 or 2 bouts of walking and resistance training on lower-extremity muscle strength (the force-generating capacity of muscle), balance, and walking performance in women who recently went through menopause.

Subjects And Methods: The subjects were 134 women who recently went through menopause.

Predictive value of health-related fitness tests for self-reported mobility difficulties among high-functioning elderly men and women.

Background And Aims: The functional independence of elderly populations deteriorates with age. Several tests of physical performance have been developed for screening elderly persons who are at risk of losing their functional independence. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether several components of health-related fitness (HRF) are valid in predicting the occurrence of self-reported mobility difficulties (MD) among high-functioning older adults.

Associations of leisure-time physical activity with mobility difficulties among middle-aged and older adults.

The authors investigated the associations of the amount, frequency and intensity, and type of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with the risk of self-reported difficulty in walking (WD) and stair climbing (SCD) over 16 years in a population-based cohort age 40-64 years at the onset of the study. Their results indicated that the risk for SCD was highest among men and women with a low amount of weekly LTPA. The risk was high also among women with weekly light LTPA compared with women with weekly vigorous LTPA.

A health-related fitness and functional performance test battery for middle-aged and older adults: feasibility and health-related content validity.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and health-related content validity of 6 health-related fitness (HRF) and 3 functional performance (FP) tests among middle-aged and older persons.

Design: Cross-sectional methodologic study.

Setting: Field laboratories in 3 communities of northeast Finland.