Replacing sedentary time with sleep, light, or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: effects on self-regulation and executive functioning

Abstract

Introduction Recent attention has highlighted the importance of reducing sedentary time for maintaining health and quality of life. However, it is unclear how changing sedentary behavior may influence executive functions and self-regulatory strategy use, which are vital for the long-term maintenance of a health behavior regimen. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the estimated self-regulatory and executive functioning effects of substituting 30 minutes of sedentary behavior with 30 minutes of light activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), or sleep in a sample of older adults. Methods This study reports baseline data collected from low-active healthy older adults (N = 247, mean age 65.4±4.6 years) recruited to participate in a six month randomized controlled exercise trial examining the effects of various modes of exercise on brain health and function. Each participant completed assessments of physical activity self-regulatory strategy use (i.e., self-monitoring, goal-setting, social support, reinforcement, time management, and relapse prevention) and executive functioning. Physical activity and sedentary behaviors were measured using accelerometers during waking hours for seven consecutive days at each time point. Isotemporal substitution analyses were conducted to examine the effect on self-regulation and executive functioning should an individual substitute sedentary time with light activity, MVPA, or sleep. Results The substitution of sedentary time with both sleep and MVPA influenced both self-regulatory strategy use and executive functioning. Sleep was associated with greater self-monitoring (B = .23, p = .02), goal-setting (B = .32, p < .01), and social support (B = .18, p = .01) behaviors. Substitution of sedentary time with MVPA was associated with higher accuracy on 2-item (B = .03, p = .01) and 3-item (B = .02, p = .04) spatial working memory tasks, and with faster reaction times on single (B = −23.12, p = .03) and mixed-repeated task-switching blocks (B = −27.06, p = .04). Substitution of sedentary time with sleep was associated with marginally faster reaction time on mixed-repeated task-switching blocks (B = − 12.20, p = .07) and faster reaction time on mixed-switch blocks (B = 17.21, p = .05), as well as reduced global reaction time switch cost (B = −16.86, p = .01). Substitution for light intensity physical activity did not produce significant effects. Conclusions By replacing sedentary time with sleep and MVPA, individuals may bolster several important domains of self-regulatory behavior and executive functioning. This has important implications for the design of long-lasting health behavior interventions.

White Matter Integrity Declined Over 6-Months, but Dance Intervention Improved Integrity of the Fornix of Older Adults

“…When scored with an interruption period of 60 min, those with at least 10 h of wear time on at least 3 days were retained in analyses (Troiano et al, 2008; Peterson et al, 2010). These data were downloaded as activity counts, which represent raw accelerations that have been summed over a specific epoch length (e.g., 60 s), and these counts vary based on frequency and intensity of the recorded acceleration (Fanning et al, 2016). Next, these data were processed using cut points designed specifically for older adults (Copeland and Esliger, 2009) such that 50 or fewer counts per minute corresponded with sedentary behavior, 51–1,040 counts per minute corresponded to light PA, and 1,041 counts or greater represented moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), related to increased heart rate and ventilation (Rejeski et al, 2016).…”

Associations of physical activity and gross motor skills with executive function in preschool children from low‐income South African settings

“…One study showed that children who replaced sedentary time with MVPA scored better on tests of self-regulation (Fanning et al, 2017).…”

“…These studies also showed benefits that extended to the cognitive domain. One study showed that children who replaced sedentary time with MVPA scored better on tests of self‐regulation (Fanning et al, ). Another study with preschool children suggested that decreasing light physical activity and increasing vigorous physical activity may be beneficial for cognitive and psychosocial development (McNeill, Howard, Vella, Santos, & Cliff, ).…”

Association between physical activity and all‐cause mortality: A 15‐year follow‐up using a compositional data analysis

“…To explore the theoretical effect of substituting time in one behavior with another, isotemporal substitution method has been developed and applied frequently in the field of physical activity research last years. [20][21][22] For instance, utilizing isotemporal substitution models we showed that substituting sedentary time with MVPA is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease mortality. 23 Other reports have shown that substituting time in LIPA with MVPA is associated with more favorable waist circumference or HDL cholesterol 21 and substituting SB with standing or stepping activity is associated with improved cardio-metabolic health.…”