Introduction:

The more developed countries of the world are suffering a population regression, which suppose a high cost on socio-health care. There is a lot of evidence on aging, however, studies on the influence of physical activity on the health of people are insufficient, as it largely depends on its implementation.

Objective:

The objective is to compare the effects in physical health of two supervised physical exercise programs for seniors.

Materials and methods:

A quasi-experimental study was carried out, comparing two supervised collective physical exercise programs performed by groups of independent older women aged 55-65 years. An existing sociomotor program was used as control, and an experimental program was implemented, with additional contents, and more sessions and activities abroad. The physical condition was examined, and averaging and variance distribution was calculated.

Results:

The results showed that older women improved in 90% of physical fitness indicators and perceived their physical health better. In fact, the experimental program, with more sessions and activities in the natural environment was more effective in relation to balance and strength of the lower limbs.

Conclusions:

Supervised collective physical exercise programs are positive for the physical health of older people, but especially those who achieved three-day weekly practice, which includes 30% outdoor sessions.

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