The effects of regular physical activities on subjective well-being levels in women of menopause period

This study was conducted to examine the effects of regular physical activities on subjective well-being levels of women in menopausal period. The participants of the study is composed of 36 women with menopause in total, an exercise group (EG) including 21 women (average 50,04 years of age) and a control group (CG) including 15 women (average 51,93 years of age). Data from the independent variables of the study were collected via the Personal Information Form which was developed by the researchers. The Subjective Well-Being Scale (SWS) was used to identify the positive psychological states of the participants in pre and post tests for 8 weeks. The ultimate criteria of the study are to integrate the subjects who had not exercised for at least six months, and agreed to participate in this controlled trial voluntarily. During the 8 weeks, the EG practised two mat Pilates classes three times per week lasting 1 h each, supervised by the same qualified Pilates instructor. Paired Sample t test was used to compare the pre and post test of the normally distributed parameters. The data obtained were evaluated at p <0.05 significance level. The results of our study demonstrated that, compared to a control group, the Pilates group exhibited significant improvements in Subjective well-being in 8-week exercise sessions. There was no significant improvement in control group after 8 weeks. It was concluded that the aerobic pilates exercises training had positive effects on Subjective Well-Being. Therefore, regular aerobic exercise training as an effective strategy in improving positive psychology among women with menopause is highly recommended.