Abstract

Background: Awidelyacknowledgedfactisthatpeoplewithmorephysicalactivityinclinedtopossessgreaterdegreeoffitness andphysicalactivitycanenhancecardiorespiratoryhealth.Aimsand
Objective:Tostudytheeffectofaerobicexercisesonpeak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), body mass index (BMI), and physical fitness index (PFI) in apparently healthy female subjects.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted after a clearance from institutional ethical committee on 25 apparently healthyfemalesubjectsintheagegroupof19–35yearswhohadvoluntarilyenrolledinalocalhealthclub,underthesupervision ofanexperttrainer.Thesubjectsweredividedintotwogroupsdependingupontheaerobicexerciseregimentheyfollowed.They were assessed for height, weight, BMI, body surface area (BSA), PEFR, and PFI by Harvard step test at three different time intervals: 0 week, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks. The mean values of all the parameters were compared and evaluated. Result: There were significant changes (po 0.001) in all the parameters while comparing with the baseline values at the three time intervals; an increase in PEFR, fall in BMI, and rise in PFI was seen. While comparing the values between the two groups, no significant difference could be found. Conclusion: Any form of aerobic exercise proves to be beneficial if followed consistently. Both the groupsexperiencedanimprovementinPEFR,BMI,andPFI,butlabelingaswhichaerobicregimenwasbettercouldnotbedone.