Effects of Short-Term Cardiovascular Endurance Exercise on Body Composition and Blood Pressure

ABSTRACT

Background@#Regular exercise can help in the prevention and treatment of such diseases. However, most individuals exercise only rarely or irregularly. This study examined the effects of short-term cardiovascular endurance exercise on body composition and blood pressure in adults who visited an exercise prescription clinic. @*Methods@#From among 505 adults who visited the University Hospital family medicine and exercise prescription clinic from March 2005 to March 2011, data of 105 adults who regularly participated in the cardiovascular endurance exercise program were collected and analyzed. Changes in body composition and blood pressure were measured before and after the 8-week exercise program (types of exercise stationary bicycles and treadmills; exercise intensity 60%–85% maximum oxygen consumption; exercise frequency 3–5 times a week; and exercise duration 20–45 minutes per session). @*Results@#Obesity, as defined by the percentage of body fat (measured by bioimpedance analysis), was 71.4% and 80.5% for male and female, respectively, and obesity, as defined by body mass index, was 53.5% and 40.2% for male and female, respectively. Percentage of body fat, body mass index, weight, abdominal circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and systolic blood pressure were statistically significantly lower after the exercise program. In addition, with the exercise program, the waist-hip ratio decreased and the lean body mass increased. However, the differences were not statistically significant. @*Conclusion@#Short-term cardiovascular endurance exercises can have a positive effect on body composition and blood pressure. Therefore, doctors should more actively recommend exercise guidance.