Health Benefits of a 6-month Brisk Walking Program in Sedentary Postmenopausal Women

Community-dwelling women aged 55 or over are recruited at public meetings aimed at promoting physical activity in postmenopausal women. Women are eligible and enrolled in the study if they have no significant disease affecting lower limb function and if they have a sedentary lifestyle. All study participants provide written informed consent to participate to the study. Women are then randomized either to the control group (women have to maintain their lifestyle) or to the exercise group : 40 minutes of brisk walking 3d/wk for 6 months (two supervised sessions and one session performed one their own per week with a detailed program). The intensity of the program is adapted to the heart rate work and gradually increases over the 6-month program. The objective of the study is to determine the health benefits of brisk on walking ability, diet, muscle strength, balance, blood pressure, bone density, body weight, lean and fat mass, depression symptoms, behavioral, emotional responses, sleep quality, and biological indicators of health.