M.N. Mal'kov, associate professor, Ph.D.
O.V. Bulgakov, associate professor, Ph.D.
V.V. Apokin, associate professor, Ph.D.
S.I. Loginov, professor, Dr.Biol.
Surgut State University, KhMAR-Yugra, Surgut

Key words: indicators of physical health, regular exercises, men and women older than 50 years, physical fitness, adaptive capacity of circulatory system.

Introduction. The ideas of development of sport for all in the epoch of globalization of the majority of social spheres of life are in the focus of interest of professionals in the sphere of health improving and adaptive physical culture [2, 4]. Outstanding domestic ontokineziologist V.K. Balsevich [3] was among the first who drew attention to the need for the development of physical culture for all and everyone by improving the human kinesiological potential throughout the period of his individual development (ontogenesis). According to some authors [11, 14], regular physical activity is good for maintenance of the optimal functional status of the body, prevents the loss of muscle mass with age, optimizes the quality and duration of life. Nevertheless, according to the statistical data represented by the World Health Organization in 2013, male life expectancy in Russia is one of the lowest (62.8 years) in Europe and Central Asia. Female life expectancy is 73 years on the average, which is also far from being the best indicator among the population of developing countries [5]. Around 80% of Russian people die prematurely from noncommunicable diseases (heart attacks, blood strokes, lung diseases and other ones). 20% die of cancer, 9% - of injuries and toxication, 6.5% - of alcoholism and tobacco smoking. The picture is completed by malnutrition and ever-increasing sedentary lifestyle [5]. An alternative to the above mentioned can be physical activity of moderate intensity, which reduces the risk of a number of diseases, such as colon cancer [11], achrestic diabetes [8], osteoporosis [12, 9], hypertension and myocardial infarction [14]. But experience has shown that little attention is still given to the issue of optimization of physical activity of elderly population of the Russian Federation (RF) at different levels of organization of health improving and adaptive physical culture. A science-based approach to the process of optimization of physical activity of adult and elderly population is realized mainly as a part of the initiative social projects by particular scientists and small laboratories, both on the national scale and in separate regions, for instance in KhMAR-Yugra. In this paper we represent some of the results obtained within the framework of one of those socio-scientific projects.

The purpose of the study was to consider the peculiarities of adaptation of the body of men and women aged 50 years and older to regular physical exercises according to the dynamics of health and fitness indicators within KhMAR-Yugra for the socio-scientific project "Activity +".

Materials and methods. The study involved 40 men and women aged 50±4.2 years (50% women), randomly selected form the Surgut State University staff. All the subjects were divided into the experimental group (EG, n=20) with control activity in the form of regular health improving training sessions lasting 12-24 weeks, and the control group (CG, n=20) exercising individually from time to time. The lead-in diagnostics of the indicators of physical health and physical fitness level was conducted prior to the experiment using the expert system “KosMos” [6] and methodological guidelines [7].

Basing on the given indicators of physical health of men and women, the index of adaptive capacity of the circulatory system (relative units) was evaluated for men and women at different stages of the study [1]. The control activity (independent variable) was a complex of recreational training sessions of moderate intensity (heart rate 125-135 bpm), during which aerobic (walking and jogging on a Bremshey treadmill) and strength (body mass-based exercise with the use of specialized press machines) physical exercises were used. These exercises were combined with breathing and stretching ones. The training sessions were conducted three times a week for 40-50 minutes. The repeated diagnostics was made after 12 and 24 weeks of training. The research data were processed using the Statistica v.6.0 Software (StatSoft, USA). We calculated arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and carried out a one-way multivariate analysis of variance.

Results and discussion. Fig. 1, A, B represent the dependence of the adaptive capacity of the circulatory system (ACCS) on sex of the subjects from the EG. It was noted that before the activity (Fig. 1, A), the ACCS of the men and women from the EG conformed on the average with the state of tension of their mechanisms of adaptation. No dependence was determined between the adaptive capacity of the circulatory system and sex of the subjects of the experiment – F(1,18)=2,538, p=0,1285. It was found that after 12 and 24 weeks of targeted activity in the form of regular physical exercises F(1,18)=109,46, p=0,0000), i.e. the reaction of the women's body to physical load was more pronounced (the adaptive capacity aligned with insufficient adaptation) as compared to men, whose adaptive capacity conformed with the tension of their mechanisms of adaptation. The ACCS of the men and women from the CG conformed with the state of tension of the mechanisms of adaptation (Fig. 1, D). After 12 and 24 weeks of activity in the form of regular physical exercises the adaptive capacity of the men aligned with insufficient adaptation.

Fig. 1. Dependence between the adaptive capacity of the circulatory system (ACCS) on the sex of the subjects at different stages of the experiment – experimental group: А – before activity, B – after 12 weeks of regular physical exercises, C – after 24 weeks of regular physical exercises. Control group: D – before activity, E – after 12 weeks of regular physical exercises, F – after 24 weeks of regular physical exercises.

After 12 weeks, the ACCS of the women fit in with insufficient adaptation, but after 24 weeks - with failure of the mechanisms of adaptation. At the same time, no dependence was determined between the adaptive capacity of the circulatory system and the sex of the subjects of the control group at all the stages of the experiment.

The level of physical fitness of the men older than 50 years from both groups (EG and CG) is represented in Fig. 2, A.

Fig. 2. Changes in the level of physical fitness: A – men older than 50 years, B – women older than 50 years in the dynamics of a 24-week training process. The levels of physical fitness (PF) are presented in points, where 1 – low, 2 – below average, 3 – average, 4 – above average and 5 – high level. The vertical lines correspond to confidence interval of 0.95%.

Legend: EG – experimental group, CG – control group

It was observed that the level of physical fitness of the men from the EG in the dynamics of a 24-week training process was changing as follows: from below average (2.8 points in the sampling) to above average (3.5 points in the sampling) and backwards to below average (3.0 points in the sampling). With that, the dynamics of the level of physical fitness of the men from the CG can be described as negative. A slow decrease was registered in the level of physical fitness (Fig. 2, A). The level of physical fitness of the women from the EG in the dynamics of the 24-week training process was changing as follows: from low (2.3 points in the sampling) to average (2.7 points in the sampling) and in the end to the intermediate level between low and average (2.5 points in the sampling). At the same time, the dynamics of the level of physical fitness of the women from the CG was almost unchangeable and corresponded to the low level of physical fitness (Fig. 2, B).

According to the findings, before the activity the men and women older than 50 years from both groups have already been in the state of tension of the mechanisms of adaptation. After 24 weeks insufficient adaptation was registered in the men, exercising on an occasional basis (control group), while the adaptive capacity of the men, who were exercising regularly, conformed with the tension of the mechanisms of adaptation, i.e. without any changes as compared to the initial state observed before the activity. The women from both groups displayed even more unfavorable trends, i.e. failure of the mechanisms of adaptation (women from the control group) and insufficient adaptation (women who were regularly engaged in physical exercises). In addition, one more dependence was observed, according to which women are, most likely, more sensitive to external disturbing effects than men. In this case, adaptive capacity may serve as an indicator of interaction between a woman's body and the environment of KhMAR-Yugra and reflect the degree of impact of the control activity.

So the question arises: is there a need for a regular physical load in the form of physical exercises? Such loads are definitely necessary; however, it is essential to plan a training process in more detail including periodical assessment and correction of intermediate (stage-by-stage) results. At the same time, training sessions can and must last much longer than 24 weeks due to the low level of health of the men and women, determined before the activity.

What also counts in favor of regular physical exercises is the level of physical fitness of the men and women from the EG, which raised on the average in the sampling after 12 and 24 weeks. The men and women exercising on an occasional basis either displayed a decrease of the level of physical fitness or it did not change and remained at the below average level.

As follows from the above, physical load is a powerful external control activity for people older than 50 years, especially for women. We believe, the targeted impact of physical loads on the body of an elderly person requires a science-based approach to planning health improving training sessions and organization of monitoring of the state of key functional systems of the body of the engaged. In this respect, while planning the training process for elderly people, it is necessary to study the available data obtained during the domestic and foreign studies.

Let us examine some foreign practices. Japanese researchers studied the degree of the increase in the strength of lower limbs of women under the influence of body mass-based exercise. 75 women aged 53-76 years performed this exercise program at home. The subjects were to perform 5 exercises (16 reps of each exercise, 2 or 3 times a day for 12 weeks), using own body mass as resistance. The subjects exercised according to the training program 6 days a week at home and 1 day a week in a local gym. It was found that body mass-based exercises at home are effective in respect to the increase in the strength of lower limbs for middle-aged and elderly women. The degree of improvement depends on the initial level of physical fitness [15].

Australian researchers conducted a randomized controlled study involving 330 low-active elderly people aged 65 years. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups. The experimental group performed walking exercises using a pedometer (n=165), combined with the medical disposal focused on the increase of the level of physical activity, the control group (n=165) followed only the standard medical disposal. 3 telephone consultation sessions were given during 12 weeks in both of the groups, in order to increase their motivation to physical activity. The results showed that, after 12 months, in the group with a pedometer the leisure physical activity in the form of walking increased by 49.6 min per week (28.1 min/week) as compared to the control group (р=0.03). In both groups a significant increase was registered in the level of physical activity after 12 weeks (termination of the activity), which remained stable after 12 months of the study. In addition, blood pressure was proved to decrease [10].

The issues of raising the level of physical activity among elderly people are of current interest in the USA due to the problems of obesity, cardio-vascular diseases and increased incidence of osteoarthritis amidst the population. At the same time, the studies reveal that regular physical activity (particularly, aerobic exercises) can reduce pain, improve joint functions and state of health in patients with knee and coxofemoral osteoarthritis [13].

Thus, research related to the study of the influence of physical load on the body of elderly people from different environments, within the optimization of physical activity is extremely relevant. One is to get used to the idea that throughout the period of individual development (ontogeny) a person needs to seek to resist hypokinesia (total lack of movement) induced by the scientific-technical progress and hypodynamia (lack of strength-related movements) using a specially organized and controlled physical activity of moderate intensity.

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Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru