title: Effects of nordic walking on body composition, muscle strength, and lipid profile in elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Nordic walking on body composition, muscle strength, and lipid profile in elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven women were assigned to the Nordic walking group (n = 21), the normal walking group (n = 21), and the control group (n = 25). Nordic walking and normal walking were performed three times a week for 12 weeks. Body weight, body mass index, total body water, skeletal muscle mass, percent body fat, grip strength, sit to stand, arm curl, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured before and after the program. A Chi-square test, one way analysis of variance, paired t test and repeated-measure two-factor analysis were used with the SAS program for data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant difference in the weight (F=8.07, p<.001), grip strength (F=10.30, p<.001), sit to stand (F=16.84, p<.001), arm curl (F=41.16, p<.001), and total cholesterol (F=5.14, p=.009) measurements between the groups. In addition, arm curl was significantly increased in the Nordic walking group compared to the normal walking group and the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that Nordic walking was more effective than normal walking in improving upper extremity strength.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Konyang University, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management, DongKang College University, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Kwon
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongshin University, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chan-Hun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea, South Korea. Electronic address: kncpjo@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Nam-Cho
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Kim