The basic theoretical assumptions of Exercise Physiology and its research directions, strongly influenced by reductionism, may hamper the full potential of basic science investigations, and various practical applications to sports performance and exercise as medicine. The aim of this perspective and programmatic article is to: (i) revise the current paradigm of Exercise Physiology and related research on the basis of principles and empirical findings in the new emerging field of Network Physiology and Complex Systems Science; (ii) initiate a new area in Exercise and Sport Science, Network Physiology of Exercise (NPE), with focus on basic laws of interactions and principles of coordination and integration among diverse physiological systems across spatio-temporal scales (from the sub-cellular level to the entire organism), to understand how physiological states and functions emerge, and to improve the efficacy of exercise in health and sport performance; and (iii) to create a forum for developing new research methodologies applicable to the new NPE field, to infer and quantify nonlinear dynamic forms of coupling among diverse systems and establish basic principles of coordination and network organization of physiological systems. Here, we present a programmatic approach for future research directions and potential practical applications. By focusing on research efforts to improve the knowledge about nested dynamics of vertical network interactions, and particularly, the horizontal integration of key organ systems during exercise, NPE may enrich Basic Physiology and diverse fields like Exercise and Sports Physiology, Sports Medicine, Sports Rehabilitation, Sport Science or Training Science and improve the understanding of diverse exercise-related phenomena such as sports performance, fatigue, overtraining, or sport injuries.

Home-based teleworking, associated with sedentary behavior, may impair self-reported adult health status. Current exercise recommendations, based on universal recipes, may be insufficient or even misleading to promote healthy teleworking. From the Network Physiology of Exercise perspective, health is redefined as an adaptive emergent state, product of dynamic interactions among multiple levels (from genetic to social) that cannot be reduced to a few dimensions. Under such a perspective, fitness development is focused on enhancing the individual functional diversity potential, which is better achieved through varied and personalized exercise proposals. This paper discusses some myths related to ideal or unique recommendations, like the ideal exercise or posture, and the contribution of recent computer technologies and applications for prescribing exercise and assessing fitness. Highlighting the need for creating personalized working environments and strengthening the active contribution of users in the process, new recommendations related to teleworking posture, home exercise counselling, exercise monitoring and to the roles of healthcare and exercise professionals are proposed. Instead of exercise prescribers, professionals act as co-designers that help users to learn, co-adapt and adequately contextualize exercise in order to promote their somatic awareness, job satisfaction, productivity, work–life balance, wellbeing and health.

Molecular Exercise Physiology and Omics approaches represent an important step toward synthesis and integration, the original essence of Physiology. Despite the significant progress they have introduced in Exercise Physiology (EP), some of their theoretical and methodological assumptions are still limiting the understanding of the complexity of sport-related phenomena. Based on general principles of biological evolution and supported by complex network science, this paper aims to contrast theoretical and methodological aspects of molecular and network-based approaches to EP. After explaining the main EP challenges and why sport-related phenomena cannot be understood if reduced to the molecular level, the paper proposes some methodological research advances related to the type of studied variables and measures, the data acquisition techniques, the type of data analysis and the assumed relations among physiological levels. Inspired by Network Physiology, Network Physiology of Exercise provides a new paradigm and formalism to quantify cross-communication among diverse systems across levels and time scales to improve our understanding of exercise-related phenomena and opens new horizons for exercise testing in health and disease.

Educational systems consider fostering creativity and cooperation as two essential aims to nurture future sustainable citizens. The cooperative learning approach proposes different pedagogical strategies for developing creativity in students. In this paper, we conceptualize collaborative creativity under the framework of coordination dynamics and, specifically, we base it on the formation of spontaneous multiscale synergies emerging in complex living systems when interacting with cooperative/competitive environments. This conception of educational agents (students, teachers, institutions) changes the understanding of the teaching/learning process and the traditional roles assigned to each agent. Under such an understanding, the design and co-design of challenging and meaningful learning environments is a key aspect to promote the spontaneous emergence of multiscale functional synergies and teams (of students, students and teachers, teachers, institutions, etc.). According to coordination dynamics, cooperative and competitive processes (within and between systems and their environments) are seen not as opposites but as complementary pairs, needed to develop collaborative creativity and increase the functional diversity potential of teams. Adequate manipulation of environmental and personal constraints, nested in different level and time scales, and the knowledge of their critical (tipping) points are key aspects for an adequate design of learning environments to develop synergistic creativity.

Universal exercise recommendations for adults neglect individual preferences, changing constraints, and their potential impact on associated health benefits. A recent proposal suggests replacing the standardized World Health Organisation (WHO) exercise recommendations for healthy adults by co-designed interventions where individuals participate actively in the decisions about the selected physical activities and the effort regulation. This study contrasts the effects on mental health and interoceptive awareness of a co-designed and co-adapted exercise intervention with an exercise program based on the WHO recommendations for healthy adults. Twenty healthy adults (10 men and 10 women, 40–55 y.o.) participated voluntarily in the research. They were randomly assigned to a co-designed exercise intervention (CoD group) and a prescribed exercise program (WHO group). Supervised online by specialized personal trainers, both programs lasted 9 weeks and were equivalent in volume and intensity. The effects of the exercise intervention were tested through personal interviews, questionnaires (DASS-21 and MAIA) and a cardiorespiratory exercise test. Intragroup differences (pre-post) were assessed using the Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test and intergroup differences through Student’s t-tests. Effect sizes were calculated through Cohen’s d. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Eleven participants completed the intervention (CoD = 8, WHO = 5). Both groups improved, but non significantly, their cardiorespiratory testing results, and no differences were found between them post-intervention. Mental health was only enhanced in the CoD group (p < 0.001), and interoceptive awareness improved in seven of the eight scales in the CoD group (p < 0.001) and only in 3 scales in the WHO group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the co-designed intervention was more effective for developing mental health, interoceptive awareness, autonomy, and exercise self-regulation than the WHO-based exercise program.

No abstract

IntroductionConnecting academic disciplines and integrating knowledge is gaining popularity in elementary school. The relevant question is, how the targeted integration could be achieved? This research aimed to (a) evaluate the potential of teaching and learning Dynamic Systems Theory (DST) and Statistical Physics (ST) general concepts through embodied experiences in elementary school and, based on it (b) enable a far transfer analogical reasoning within and between different academic subjects.MethodsForty-eight elementary school students, aged 10.2 ± 0.82 y.o., followed an 8-week, 2-h/week intervention. The learning protocol contained a concreteness fading sequence of phases and consisted of four steps: (a) embodied experience, (b) reflective observation, (c) abstract conceptualization of DST/ST concepts, and (d) transfer of the DST/SP concepts to physical, sociological, biological and ecological phenomena. A validated questionnaire and an interview evaluated students’ knowledge and analogical reasoning.ResultsThe Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test showed a general positive effect of the intervention on the understanding of DSP/SP concepts and on the far transfer competencies of students (Z = −5.98; p < 0.0001). There was no association between the previous and newly acquired competencies (Spearman’s ρ = 0.112; p = 0.441).DiscusionThe qualitative results showed that, in general, the suggested embodied learning protocol supports the acquisition of DST/SP general concepts and the far transfer competencies. However, students of this age are possibly highly sensitive to the balance of the focus between the embodied phases and the conceptualization/transfer phases of the learning protocol. The study points to the potential of learning the general DST/SP for elementary school students’ integrative and far transfer competencies. The DST/SP concept-based transdisciplinary embodied education may offer a truly integrative approach to STEAM teaching.

No abstract