COMPARING BRISK WALKING VS YOGIC PRACTICES-AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
Keywords:
brisk walking, yoga practice, flexibility, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressureAbstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of brisk walking and yoga on the flexibility and blood pressure of middle-aged men. Forty-five individuals from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, aged between 40 to 45 years, were selected for the study. They were divided into three equal groups (n = 15): Group I underwent brisk walking, Group II practiced yoga, and Group III served as the control group without any specific training. The training regimen lasted five days a week for twelve weeks. Flexibility was assessed using the sit and reach test, while blood pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer before and after the training period.
Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to determine any significant differences among the experimental groups and the control group regarding the selected variables. Additionally, the Scheffẻ test was utilized as a post-hoc test due to the involvement of three groups in the study. The findings indicated that both brisk walking and yoga positively influenced the criterion variables of flexibility and blood pressure among middle-aged men compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed between the training groups themselves.
