PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Nordic walking on body composition, muscle strength, and lipid profile in elderly women. METHOD: 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 < 0.001), grip strength (F = 10.30, p < 0.001), sit to stand (F = 16.84, p < 0.001), arm curl (F = 41.16, p < 0.001), and total cholesterol (F = 5.14, p = 0.009) 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. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that Nordic walking was more effective than normal walking in improving upper extremity strength.

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