Effects of a physical conditioning program in the aquatic environment on health indicators in the elderly.

The intervention consisted of a training programme in an aquatic environment. Supervised resistance training was performed for 14 weeks. All sessions were conducted by a graduate in physical activity and sport sciences. The sessions were conducted in a heated pool three times a week for 60 min per session. The group was made up of all the women participants; the exercises were individual. The sessions began with a 15 min warm-up consisting of aerobic and resistance exercises (10 min) and stretching (5 min) of all the muscle groups involved, followed by 30 min of comprehensive interval resistance training involving four 5 min sessions with a 2 min rest between each session. In each session, the same exercises (pectoral/back, hip flexor/extensor, biceps/triceps, knee flexor/extensor, shoulder and core) were performed for 1 min consecutively, with intervals of 30, 20 and 10 s and at low, moderate and high perceived intensity, respectively. According to the perceived exertion scale, when participants needed to increase the intensity of the upper hemisphere exercises, they put on resistance gloves or resistance dumbbells, whereas for the lower-hemisphere exercises, they put on resistance anklets. Finally, in the last 10–15 min, stretching (5 min) and relaxation exercises (10 min) were performed. In all the intervention sessions, the perception of effort was controlled using the Borg scale. Additionally, all participants received the same nutritional education, based on the mediterranean diet (MD) divided into four theoretical and practical workshops of 60 min for 14 weeks in order to provide updated information about the benefits of following an adequate food pattern. Trained dietitians conducted the sessions. The topics covered in the sessions were: (1) food and nutrition, MD pyramid and a modern lifestyle—daily, weekly and occasional dietary guidelines to achieve a healthy and balanced diet; (2) health and gastronomy—preparation of healthy menus that include components of the MD with an impact on cardiovascular prevention and cognitive deterioration; (3) MD associated with healthy aging, hydration and macro- and micronutrients; and (4) a seminar on sugars and sweeteners—presentation of the effects of sugar consumption on health and the evaluation of different types of sugars and sweeteners and processed products and risk of diseases associated with the consumption of foods not included in the MD. An attendance checklist was made, however, all the participants attended all the sessions, with the aim of standardizing the diet of the sample, to avoid eating habits being a potential confounding factor of the results obtained as an effect of the training.