Background This study reports the accelerometer-based physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in hypertensive older adults. Methods Thirty-five hypertensive older adults were included in this observational study. Accelerometer-based PA and SB measures were assessed before (January to March 2020) and during (June 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. Linear mixed models were used to assess within-group changes in PA and SB measures, adjusted by accelerometer wear time. Results Before COVID-19 pandemic participants presented: 5809 steps/day (SE = 366), 303.1 min/day (SE = 11.9) of light PA, 15.5 min/day (SE = 2.2) of moderate-vigorous PA, and 653.0 min/day (SE = 12.6) of SB. During COVID-19 pandemic there was a decrease in steps/day (β = −886 steps/day, SE = 361, p = 0.018), in moderate-vigorous PA (β = −2.8 min/day, SE = 2.4, p = 0.018), and a trend in light PA (β = −26.6 min/day, SE = 13.4, p = 0.053). In addition, SB increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (β = 29.6 min/day, SE = 13.4, p = 0.032). The magnitude of changes was greater on the weekend, mainly for steps/day (β = −1739 steps/day, SE = 424, p < 0.001) and the SB pattern (more time spent in bouts of ≥10 and 30 min, less breaks/day and breaks/h). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic may elicit unhealthy changes in movement behavior in hypertensive older adults. Lower PA, higher and more prolonged SB on the weekend are the main features of the behavioral changes.

ObjectivesTo examine the affective responses during a single bout of a low-volume HIIE in active and insufficiently active men.Materials and methodsFifty-eight men (aged 25.3 ± 3.6 years) volunteered to participate in this study: i) active (n = 29) and ii) insufficiently active (n = 29). Each subject undertook i) initial screening and physical evaluation, ii) maximal exercise test, and iii) a single bout of a low-volume HIIE. The HIIE protocol consisted of 10 x 60s work bouts at 90% of maximal treadmill velocity (MTV) interspersed with 60s of active recovery at 30% of MTV. Affective responses (Feeling Scale, -5/+5), rating of perceived exertion (Borg’s RPE, 6–20), and heart rate (HR) were recorded during the last 10s of each work bout. A two-factor mixed-model repeated measures ANOVA, independent-samples t test, and chi-squared test were used to data analysis.ResultsThere were similar positive affective responses to the first three work bouts between insufficiently active and active men (p > 0.05). However, insufficiently active group displayed lower affective responses over time (work bout 4 to 10) than the active group (p < 0.01). Also, the insufficiently active group displayed lower values of mean, lowest, and highest affective response, as well as lower values of affective response at the highest RPE than the active group (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the RPE and HR between the groups (p > 0.05).ConclusionsInsufficiently active and active men report feelings of pleasure to few work bouts (i.e., 3–4) during low-volume HIIE, while the affective responses become more unpleasant over time for insufficiently active subjects. Investigations on the effects of low-volume HIIE protocols including a fewer number of work bouts on health status and fitness of less active subjects would be interesting, especially in the first training weeks.

Coronavirus is part of a group of viruses responsible for seasonally causing acute respiratory syndromes that can be accompanied from mild symptoms to severe conditions with a significant mortality rate. In addition to hygiene care, social distance is one of the most efficient strategies to mitigate the spread of the virus and reduce impacts on the world. Therefore, government strategies have directed efforts to ensure the isolation at home of much of the world’s population. One of the strategies that has been considered an important tool to facilitate adherence to isolation is the encouragement of regular physical exercise, especially due to its ability to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress in the population. Thus, in parallel with the expansion of coronavirus in the world, the search for exercise at home has gained prominence on the internet, demonstrating the emerging need to think of strategies that can lead to an effective home practice in promoting adherence to a physically active lifestyle. On the other hand, some pertinent questions may arise, such as: how will the exercise prescription and follow-up of the population be carried out during this period? What guidelines should be followed for a safe and efficient prescription? What types of exercises should be prioritized? What are the criteria for this selection? Based on these questions, this study aimed to present a proposal, integrating the physiological and psychobiological aspects, of how physical exercise could be prescribed at home, considering the barriers faced by the population in the face of social isolation worldwide. In summary, here we suggest a prescription model that estimates the weekly performance of at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercises, as well as strength exercises for the main muscle groups. In addition, we guide the use of tools that allow the assessment of physical effort and personal satisfaction in training, with the aim of improving adherence and maintenance to a physical exercise program and thus contributing to health promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic.Palavras-chave: exercice prescription, home training, lifestyle, pandemic Covid-19

These data extend previous findings by showing that environmental setting influences physiological, perceptual, and affective responses during exercise at a self-selected pace. Self-paced exercise performed over ground resulted in lower perceptual and more positive affective responses.

In order to examine whether environmental settings influence psychological and physiological responses of women with obesity during self-paced walking, 38 women performed two exercise sessions (treadmill and outdoors) for 30 min, where oxygen uptake, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion, affect, attentional focus, enjoyment, and future intentions to walk were analyzed. Physiological responses were similar during both sessions. However, during outdoor exercise, participants displayed higher externally focused attention, positive affect, and lower ratings of perceived exertion, followed by greater enjoyment and future intention to participate in outdoor walking. The more externally focused attention predicted greater future intentions to participate in walking. Therefore, women with obesity self-selected an appropriate exercise intensity to improve fitness and health in both environmental settings. Also, self-paced outdoor walking presented improved psychological responses. Health care professionals should consider promoting outdoor forms of exercise to maximize psychological benefits and promote long-term adherence to a physically active lifestyle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of adiposity (% body fat) on physiological, perceptual, and affective responses during walking. 45 women were divided into low, medium, and high tertiles according to % body fat. Each participant completed a maximal exercise test and a 20-min. bout of walking at a self-selected pace. The preferred walking speed was similar among groups, whereas %VO2 max was greater in the high tertile group compared with the other two groups. Nevertheless, perceptual and affective responses were similar between the groups. These findings suggest that physiological responses relative to maximal capacity, but not perceptual and affective responses, of sedentary women are influenced by adiposity during walking at a self-selected pace. However, when the physiological responses are relative to ventilatory threshold, there are no differences between individuals with different levels of adiposity.

The aim of this study was to investigate gender-based differences in substrate use during exercise at a self-selected pace. Seventeen men and 17 women performed a maximal exercise test and a 20-minute bout of self-paced treadmill walking to determine carbohydrate and fat oxidation rates. Gas exchange measurements were performed throughout the tests, and stoichiometric equations were used to calculate substrate oxidation rates. For each individual, a best-fit polynomial curve was constructed using fat oxidation rate (g·min(-1)) vs. exercise intensity (percentage of maximal oxygen uptake, % VO(2)max). Each individual curve was used to obtain the following variables: maximal fat oxidation (MFO), the peak rate of fat oxidation measured over the entire range of exercise intensities; fat(max), the exercise intensity at which the MFO was observed; and fat(max) zone, range of exercise intensities with fat oxidation rates within 10% of fat oxidation rates at fat(max). Although the MFO was similar between genders, fat(max) was lower in men than in women. Similarly, the "low" and "high" borders of the fat(max) zone were lower in men than in women. During exercise at a self-selected pace, carbohydrate oxidation rates were greater in men than in women, despite no gender-based differences in fat oxidation rates. However, fat oxidation contribution to total energy expenditure (EE) was greater in women than in men, despite no gender-based differences in the exercise intensity. In conclusion, although both genders self-selected a similar exercise intensity, the contribution of fat oxidation to EE is greater in women than in men. Interestingly, both genders self-selected an exercise intensity that falls within the fat(max) zone.

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