Acute Effect Of Pilates On Blood Pressure In Women

The objective of this randomized crossover clinical trial was to evaluate the acute effect of a Pilates exercise session on blood pressure in women aged 50 years or older. The main questions investigated were: * Did a single Pilates exercise session alter blood pressure in the 24 hours following the intervention? * Did the effects of Pilates on blood pressure differ from those observed after a treadmill walking session? All participants initially underwent a control condition, which involved a health history assessment and the fitting of a blood pressure monitor for 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Following this condition, participants were randomly assigned to one of two intervention sequences: Pilates followed by walking, or walking followed by Pilates. The two interventions were performed with a six-day interval between sessions. In the Pilates condition, participants performed a session lasting approximately 50 minutes, consisting of 10 exercises. In the walking condition, they performed approximately 50 minutes of treadmill walking at an intensity corresponding to 60-70% of their maximum heart rate. After each experimental condition, blood pressure was monitored for 24 hours using ABPM.