Comparison between effects of yoga and aerobic exercise on pulmonary function and physical fitness among young healthy females

Background & Objective: Yoga, the ancient practice of postures, breathing and meditation is gaining attention from healthcare professionals in recent times, and thus, the postulated benefits of yoga over other forms of exercises must be scientifically explored. Several studies have examined the benefits of yoga and aerobics on pulmonary functions independently, but there is a paucity of research that have compared the effects of yoga and aerobics on fitness. This study, therefore aimed to assess and compare the effects of yoga and aerobics on pulmonary function and physical fitness. Methodology: An experimental randomized control study was conducted on young college going female undergraduate students. 72 volunteers were randomly divided into a yoga and aerobics group. They received the intervention for 30-45 minutes a day, 6 days per week for three (3) weeks. All participants were assessed pre and post intervention, using standard anthropometric, pulmonary function and physical fitness measures. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that both groups showed a similar trend in improvement post intervention, however there were no significant differences in the parameters measured between the yoga group and the aerobics group. It is concluded that either or both forms of exercise may be done by young, asymptomatic females to improve pulmonary and physical fitness. Keywords: Yoga, Aerobics, Pulmonary functions, Physical fitness.