Exercise habits and cortisol level among women at a local Zumba club

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Cortisol has a vital role in helping the body deal with stress. It is known as the primary stress hormone. Cortisol modulates many changes in the body in response to stress, including blood glucose metabolism, fat, protein, carbohydrate metabolism into energy (gluconeogenesis), immune and anti-inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of Zumba exercise on cortisol levels in Zumba club participants in Indonesia.  Materials and Methods: The design of the research is observational using a cross-sectional analytic study method. The samples in this study were 25 women of productive age in the I'M Z crew Zumba club in Indonesia with a purposive amplification technique.  Results: The results showed that the subjects who routinely did Zumba exercise (? 3x a week) or who did not excercie routinely (1-2x a week) to have cortisol levels within normal limits (3.09-16.66 ug/dL). The results of this study also showed that subjects who routinely did Zumba exercise (? 3x a week) have higher cortisol mean (7.82 ± 3.50) than subjects who did not regularly exercise (1-2x a week; 6.47 ± 3.46). Conclusion: There was no significant relationship between exercise habits and cortisol levels in the research subjects.