Functional Autonomy and Quality of Life in Older Women Participating in Different Physical Activity Programs
Abstract
Aging in older women leads to physiological changes that may reduce functional autonomy and quality of life. Regular participation in resistance training (RT) and aerobic exercise (AE) is effective in attenuating these effects. This study aimed to analyze scientific evidence regarding functional autonomy and quality of life in older women who practice RT and AE. A structured narrative review was conducted with predefined search criteria, including clinical trials involving women aged 60 to 75 years, published between 2020 and 2025, in Portuguese and/or English, in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Ninety-three articles were identified, of which 89 were excluded for being duplicates, being off-topic, involving a different population, or using other research methods. Thus, four articles were included in the qualitative analysis. The results indicated that resistance training improves muscle strength, bone density, balance, and body composition, whereas aerobic exercise enhances cardiorespiratory capacity, lipid profile, glycemic control, and reduces body fat. Therefore, it is concluded that regular physical exercise—particularly RT and AE—plays a fundamental role in promoting healthy aging in older women, and that combining these programs also provides benefits, enabling greater gains in functional autonomy and quality of life, thereby making the aging process for this population more active.
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