Does functional fitness decline in accordance with our expectation? – a pilot study in healthy female

BACKGROUND: Aging may cause various functional abilities gradually deteriorate. With changes in social forms, the trend of functional fitness decline will change accordingly. Therefore, this study endeavored to identify the trends in functional fitness decline by comparing the differences in the functional fitness of females in various age groups. METHODS: Thirty six healthy females were divided into 3 age groups: young healthy females (20 to 30 y); middle-age (45 to 55 y); and older (65 to 75 y). Functional fitness test battery included flexibility, muscle strength/endurance, aerobic endurance, balance and agility. RESULTS: The performance in the elderly group was significantly worse (P < .05) in all the tests, whereas the muscle strength and endurance, as well as aerobic endurance for the middle-age group showed significantly lower than young groups (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in lower extremity muscle strength occurs in the middle-age group. We recommend that middle-age women be conscious of the reduction in their lower extremity muscle strength and conduct advanced preparations for future aging.