Search results for "Exercise."

“It’s More Than Just Exercise”: Tailored Exercise at a Community-Based Activity Center as a Liminal Space along the Road to Mental Health Recovery an…

2021

Mental health care policies call for health-promoting and recovery-oriented interventions, as well as community-based programs supporting healthier habits. The purpose of this study was to explore how individuals facing mental health challenges experienced participating in tailored exercise at a community-based activity center, and what role tailored exercise could play in supporting an individual’s process of recovery. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine adults experiencing poor mental health who engaged in exercise at the activity center. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using systematic text condensation. Participants spoke about the…

Goalkeeper: A Zero-Sum Exergame for Motivating Physical Activity

2021

Incentives and peer competition have so far been employed independently for increasing physical activity. In this paper, we introduce Goalkeeper, a mobile application that utilizes deposit contracts for motivating physical activity in group settings. Goalkeeper enables one to set up a physical exercise challenge with a group of peers that deposit a fixed amount of money for participating. If a peer fails to complete the challenge, Goalkeeper redistributes their deposit to those who managed to complete it (i.e., zero-sum game). We evaluated the potential of Goalkeeper in increasing physical activity with a total of 50 participants over the course of 2 months. Our findings suggest that deposi…

Effects of a low-frequency sound wave therapy programme on functional capacity, blood circulation and bone metabolism in frail old men and women

2009

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a low-frequency sound wave therapy programme on functional capacity, blood circulation and bone metabolism of the frail elderly. Design: Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Two senior service centres. Subjects: Forty-nine volunteers (14 males and 35 females) aged 62—93 years with up to 12 diagnosed diseases were allocated in either the intervention group (n = 30) or control group (n = 19). Intervention: The intervention group underwent sound wave therapy, 3—5 times a week for 30 minutes per session over a period of 6 months. The control group received no intervention. Main measurements: Blood pressure, functional capacity, mobility, bo…

Effect of low-impact aerobic exercise combined with music therapy on patients with fibromyalgia. A pilot study.

2016

Abstract Objective Fibromyalgia is a pathological entity characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and the presence of "tender points". It constitutes a significant health problem because of its prevalence and economic impact. The aim of the present study was to determine the therapeutic benefits of low impact aerobic exercise alone or in combination with music therapy in patients with fibromyalgia. Methods A single-blind randomized controlled pilot trial was performed. Thirty-five individuals with fibromyalgia were divided into three groups: (G1) therapeutic aerobic exercise with music therapy (n=13); (G2) therapeutic aerobic exercise at any rhythm (n=13) and (CG) control (n…

Isometric endurance test of the cervical flexor muscles - Reliability and normative reference values.

2017

Abstract Objective To obtain reference values for the isometric endurance test (IET) of the cervical flexor muscles, investigate its reproducibility, and compare the results with the maximal isometric strength test (MIST) of the cervical flexor muscles. Design Cross-sectional non-comparative study with single group repeated measurements. Methods Altogether 219 healthy females aged 20–59 years volunteered to participate in the study. The IET was performed in the supine position and MIST seated. The reproducibility was evaluated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and an analysis described by Bland and Altman. The relationship between the two measuring methods was evaluated by Pea…

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a hypopressive exercise program on postmenopausal cancer survivors: A pilot study.

2020

Abstract Background Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom during and after cancer treatment that negatively affects the patient's quality of life. Exercise is one of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments for CRF. Multimodal exercise therapy programs that include hypopressive exercises, relaxation and myofascial release may be beneficial for CRF. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a multimodal program on CRF and lower limb functional strength in postmenopausal women diagnosed with cancer. Methods 7 postmenopausal women (age = 55.28 years; BMI = 26.05 kg/m2) who had a cancer diagnosis participated in a supervised and progressive …

Influence of neuromuscular factors and body composition on anaerobic simulated warfighter task performance

2017

Exercise as the master polypill of the 21st century for the prevention of cardiovascular disease

2015

To the Editor,The growing pandemic of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has para-doxically paralleled advances in pharmacology, and CVD remains theleading cause of death worldwide. Therapeutic strategies aiming atcontrolling several CVD risk factors simultaneously in individualswithout evidence of CVD are expensive and difficult to implement.Thus, the development of fixed-dose drug combinations of antiplatelettogether with blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol-lowering drugs,i.e., polypills, is gaining attention to prevent CVD [1,2] and all-causemortality [3], even after an acute coronary syndrome [4]. Despite thepotential of polypills to increase adherence at a lower cost [5], peoplerandomized to …

Short-term walking physical training and changes in body hydration status, B-type natriuretic peptide and C-reactive protein levels in compensated co…

2008

BACKGROUND: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with decreased exercise tolerance, alterations in body fluid balance and activation of neurohumoral and inflammatory pathways. Physical training, despite the contraindications of the past, is recommended for its beneficial effects on exercise capacity and quality of life. We investigate the effects of a short-term (ten weeks) walking physical training program (PT) on body hydration state (HS), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: 22 patients with CHF (mean age 62.7+/-4.8 years, 15 men, mean ejection fraction 38.9+/-3.6%, NYHA class II-III), were enrolled. Eleven patients were rando…

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: Prognostic Comparison from Peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 Slope

2010

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing with ventilatory expired gas analysis (CPET) has proven to be a valuable tool for assessing patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The maximal oxygen uptake (peak V02) is used in risk stratification of patients with CHF. The minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO2 slope) has recently demonstrated prognostic significance in patients with CHF. Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2007 we performed CPET in 184 pts (146 M, 38 F, mean age 59.8 ± 12.9 years), with stable CHF (96 coronary artery disease, 88 dilated cardiomyopathy), in NYHA functional class II (n.107) - III (n.77), with left ventricular ejection frac…