Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Perceived Exertion During Aerobic Exercise in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a readily available and practical tool widely used in exercise science to monitor exercise load, but a rigorous review of the effect of menstrual cycle (MC) phases on RPE within continuous aerobic exercise has not yet been completed. Objective: This study investigated the effects of the MC phase on RPE during aerobic exercise. Study Design: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The search strategy was carried out using the 5 most common scientific databases. While qualitative analyses were performed in all included studies, random effects to standard mean difference were calculated and meta-analysis was performed where possible. This study addresses comparison for RPE at the beginning, middle, and end of the exercise adopting 2 mains analysis. The first adopted early cycle (first session of the cycle) as control compared with the subsequent phases, and the second adopted days 1 to 5 (early follicular) as control compared with the subsequent phases. Results: A total of 17 studies (n = 160) were included in the qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis showed that MC phases did not impact RPE (P > .05). Conclusions: The current meta-analysis showed that MC does not impact RPE. Although acute RPE is not impacted by MC phases, future studies and practitioners should pay attention to the impact of RPE session by session throughout the MC.

Psychophysiological Responses to High-Intensity Interval Training Exercise over Menstrual Cycle Phases: An Exploratory Study.

INTRODUCTION: Although there is potential for the menstrual cycle to impact psychophysiological responses to exercise, there has been a paucity of studies investigating this aspect, specifically in the context of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). PURPOSE: This exploratory study aimed to examine the psychophysiological responses to HIIT over the menstrual cycle. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy and physically active young women were recruited. Each woman completed a cycle ergometer HIIT session in the menstrual, follicular, and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle in a random order. Psychophysiological variables of interest were collected at baseline, and during and after exercise. Primary variables of interest were anxiety, mood, motivation, enjoyment, arousal, affect, and menstrual distress. RESULTS: Higher pain, water retention, behavior change (related to social interactions, eating habits, and self-performance), and autonomic reactions (consisting of nausea, dizziness, hot flashes, and cold sweats) were observed before HIIT during the menstrual phase compared to the follicular phase (p < 0.05). Participants exhibited worse psychological responses to HIIT sessions during the menstrual phase, followed by the luteal phase. Findings also noted participants arrived to the laboratory with lower motivation to initiate HIIT sessions during the luteal and menstrual phases compared to the follicular phase. This difference was observed before and during HIIT. Motivation and depressive symptoms showed a significant reduction from pre-HIIT to post-HIIT (p < 0.05), regardless of menstrual phase. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed that the menstrual cycle had a significant impact on psychophysiological responses. Moreover, HIIT could be adopted to improve motivation and depressive symptoms, however, further research is needed to explore the effects of HIIT across the menstrual cycle in women with clinical depression.

Methodology for using the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes-MAPS in the city of São Paulo / Metodologia de utilização do Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes-MAPS na cidade de São Paulo

The Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes-Global (MAPS Global) is an international instru-ment that aims to characterize the variability of pedestrian environments related to physical activity at the microscale level, being a reliable tool that allows comparisons between locations with different contexts. In this regard, the objective of the present study is to describe the methodological process adopted in the Health Survey of São Paulo or Inquérito de Saúde de São Paulo (ISA) in portu-guese ­ Physical Activity and Environment survey for the microscale environment assessment with the MAPS-Global instrument. The use of the method in São Paulo city involved several steps and adaptations relevant to the context of the study, such as: meetings with the group responsible for the validation of the method in Brazil, training of researchers for data collection, review of sections and questions and instrument hosting on Google forms, georeferencing of households and preparation of routes, training and certification of evaluators, and data collection procedures. The environment audit presented challenges, even though it was an exclusively online process, 25 months were required for all the stages development since the audit involved a considerable sample of 1,434 subjects, an increased evaluation coverage in cross-segment sections, and a team of seven evaluators. For future data collection it is suggested to consider the time available for auditing, the size of the team for the selected sample, as well as the possibility of adapting the instrument, such as the inclusion or removal of items according to the local context or reality of the study

O Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes-Global (MAPS-Global) é um instrumento internacional que visa caracterizar a variabilidade de ambientes de pedestres relacionados à atividade física ao nível de microescala, sendo uma ferramenta confiável que permite comparações entre locais com diferentes contextos. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo é descrever o processo metodológico adotado na pesquisa Inquérito de Saúde de São Paulo (ISA) - Atividade Física e Ambiente para a avaliação da microescala do ambiente com o instrumento MAPS-Global. A utilização do método na cidade de São Paulo envolveu diversas etapas e adaptações relevantes para o contexto do estudo, inicialmente foram realizadas reuniões com o grupo responsável por validar o método no Brasil, treinamento dos pesquisadores para coletas de dados, revisão dos blocos e questões, hospedagem do instrumento no Google forms, georreferenciamento dos domicílios, elaboração das rotas, treinamento e certificação dos avaliadores e procedimentos de coletas de dados. A auditagem do ambiente apresentou desafios, mesmo se tratando de um processo exclusivamente online, foram necessários 25 meses para o desenvolvimento de todas as etapas do estudo, pois a avaliação envolveu 1.434 sujeitos, aumento da cobertura da avaliação nas seções dos segmentos e cruzamentos e uma equipe de sete avaliadores. Sugere-se para coletas futuras que seja observado o tempo disponível para auditagem, o tamanho da equipe para a amostra selecionada, bem como a possibilidade realizar adaptações no instrumento como a inclusão ou retirada de itens conforme contexto ou realidade local do estudo

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on homeostatic and hedonic appetite control and mood states in women presenting premenstrual syndrome across menstrual cycle phases.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the acute effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on appetite, energy intake, food preferences, and mood states in the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in women presenting premenstrual syndrome. METHODS: Sixteen women (26.5 ± 5.2 years; 1.63 ± 0.1 m; 64.2 ± 12.8 kg; body mass index 24.0 ± 5.0 kg/m2; body fat 27.6 ± 7.5%) with the eumenorrheic menstrual cycle were submitted to a-tDCS and sham-tDCS conditions over their follicular and luteal phases. At pre - and post-tDCS, hunger and desire to eat something tasty, (analogic visual scale), the profile of mood states (POMS), and the psychological components of food preferences (Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire-BR) were assessed. Participants recorded their food intake for the rest of the day using a diary log. RESULTS: There was a trend towards main effect of condition for decreased implicit wanting for low-fat savory food after a-tDCS but not sham-tDCS regardless of menstrual cycle phase (p = 0.062). There was no effect for self-reported hunger, desire to eat, energy and macronutrient intake, and on other components of food preferences (explicit liking and wanting for low- and high-fat savory and sweet foods, implicit wanting for low- and high-fat sweet and high-fat savory food); as well as for mood states. CONCLUSIONS: Although no significant effects of a-tDCS were found, the present investigation provides relevant perspectives for future studies.

Psychophysiological Responses to Self-Selected Exercise Intensity Over the Menstrual Cycle: A Randomized Crossover Phase Trial.

Purpose: This study investigated the psychophysiological responses during self-selected exercise intensity over the course of the menstrual cycle (MC). Methods: Seventeen healthy women with regular MCs completed three randomized treadmill bouts of 30 min of self-selected exercise intensity during menstruation, mid-follicular, and late luteal phases. Anxiety, menstrual distress (i.e., pain, behavior change, autonomic reaction, fluid retention, and negative affect) and profile of mood (i.e., tension, depression, and anger) were measured before exercise. Arousal, heart rate (HR), motivation, rating of perceived exertion and affective valence were measured before, during and after each exercise session. Results: Anger, anxiety, behavior change, pain, and negative affect were significantly greater (p < .05) during menstruation compared to the mid-follicular phase, whereas fluid retention, anger, behavior change, and autonomic reaction were greater (p < .05) during the late luteal phase compared with the mid-follicular phase. Participants felt more negative affective valence and less motivation to start exercise during menstruation compared with other MC phases. Average treadmill speed (5.8 ± 1.1 vs 6.0 ± 0.7 vs 5.9 ± 0.7 km/h-1, p = .36) and %HRmax (74.9 ± 3.2 vs 77.8 ± 5.4 vs 77.4 ± 7.1%, p = .40) did not differ between menstruation, mid-follicular, and late luteal phases. Also, noteworthy is that participants self-selected an intensity that exceeded the minimum levels recommended for health and cardiorespiratory fitness promotion (64-70% HRmax). Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that psychophysiological responses are negatively impacted mainly during menstruation and the late luteal phase of the MC. These findings may be helpful for professionals who work to promote the initiation and maintenance of exercise in women.

Smartphone apps for tracking physical activity and sedentary behavior: A criterion validity review / Aplicativos de smartphone para monitorar a atividade física e o comportamento sedentário: uma revisão sistemática de estudos de validação

Smartphone apps have been developed and investigated in validation studies for tracking human be-havior such as physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). However, as it is unclear whether these apps are valid for tracking PA and SB when compared to research-grade accelerometers, thus, this systematic review aimed to investigate the validity of smartphone apps for tracking PA and SB using the accelerometer as a criterion measure. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, SportDiscus, and Scopus databases. The mean percentage difference (MPD) was used to evaluate criterion validity. Ten studies (n = 662) validating different apps using ActiGraph accelerometers as criteria measure (six were conducted in free-living conditions, two in laboratory conditions, and two in both conditions) were included for analyses. While four apps were considered valid for tracking PA, six were not valid or fully valid. The MPD analysis revealed that apps provide no valid scores for tracking PA measures (MPD = -12.6 ­ 37.7). The scarcity of studies investigat-ing SB limits the tracking of the results on this behavior. Study designs, smartphone location, and exercise intensity tend to affect the accuracy of apps tracking PA; thus, the current review showed conflicting results among studies. This review shows that it is not possible to generalize the valid scores for all apps

Aplicativos para smartphones têm sido desenvolvidos e investigados em estudos de validação para rastrea-mento de comportamento humano, como atividade física (AF) e comportamento sedentário (CS). No entan-to, como não está claro se esses aplicativos são válidos para rastrear AF e CS quando comparados a acelerôme-tros de grau de pesquisa, portanto, essa revisão sistemática teve o objetivo investigar a validade de aplicativos de smartphone para rastreamento de AF e CS usando o acelerômetro como medida de critério. Uma busca sistemática foi realizada em quatro bases de dados. A diferença percentual média (MPD) foi utilizada para avaliar a validade de critério. Dez estudos (n = 662) validando diferentes aplicativos usando acelerômetros ActiGraph como medida de critério (seis foram realizados em condições de vida diária, dois em condições de laboratório e dois em ambas as condições) foram incluídos para análise. Enquanto quatro aplicativos foram considerados válidos para rastreamento de AF, seis não eram válidos ou totalmente válidos. A análise do MPD revelou que os aplicativos não fornecem pontuações válidas para rastrear medidas de AF (MPD = -12,6 ­ 37,7). A escassez de estudos investigando o CS limita o rastreamento dos resultados sobre esse comportamento. Desenhos de estudo, localização do smartphone e intensidade do exercício tendem a afetar a precisão dos aplicativos que rastreiam AF; assim, a presente revisão mostrou resultados conflitantes entre os estudos. Esta revisão mostra que não é possível generalizar as pontuações válidas para todos os aplicativos.

The effect of menstrual cycle and exercise intensity on psychological and physiological responses in healthy eumenorrheic women.

Psychological responses such as affect, mood, motivation, anxiety are important considerations for exercise adherence. A large body of evidence indicates that exercise intensity is a controllable variable capable of increasing positive feelings. Investigations thus far, however, have not considered that the higher incidence of negative psychological responses in women could be due to physiological particularities of the menstrual cycle (MC). This project investigates the effect of MC phases and exercise intensity on psychophysiological responses in fourteen healthy, eumenorrheic and physically active women. Measuring psychophysiological responses before, during and after exercise, participants completed two exercise bouts of 15 min above and below the anaerobic threshold in the follicular phase (FP) and the luteal phase (LP) of the MC. Lower levels of depression and hostility and higher levels of vigor, affect and motivation were observed during exercise in the FP. Exercise at moderate intensity elicited more positive psychological responses compared to high-intensity exercise, highlighted by findings that affect and rating of perceived exertion were worse in the LP without changes in physiological responses. These findings suggest no effect of MC on physiological responses, but psychological responses are impaired in the LP, worsening particularly during exercise at high intensity.

Exercício com intensidade autosselecionada para idosos: implicações do afeto em aulas comunitárias / Self-selected intensity exercise for the elderly: implications of affect in community classes

A prescrição da intensidade do exercício de forma autosselecionada em função de maior afeto positivo é uma estratégia utilizada para promover aderência da população na prática de exercícios. Entre-tanto, ainda não foram investigadas as implicações que essa estratégia pode gerar na valência afetiva de idosos em ambientes não laboratoriais e em aulas em grupos. O objetivo desse estudo foi analisar se o exercício com intensidade autosselecionada realizado em grupos de idosos pode influenciar na valência afetiva. A amostra foi composta por 176 idosos, sendo 42 homens, com média de idade 70,70 ± 10,10 anos e 134 mulheres, com média de idade 71,00 ± 6,60 anos. Os idosos vinculados a um centro comunitário reportaram a valência afetiva e percepção subjetiva de esforço após uma caminhada de 30 minutos com intensidade autosselecionada. Os participantes foram alocados em três grupos segundo os tercis de percepção subjetiva de esforço: grupo com baixa (GBPE), média (GMPE) e alta (GAPE) percepção de esforço. Foi identificado que todos grupos se diferenciam entre si na valência afetiva [c² (2) = 50,860; p < 0,05]. A magnitude das diferenças pelo tamanho de efeito foi moderada na análise global (*ES = 0,331) e entre GBPE e GAPE (ES = 0,329). Conclui-se existe uma implicação negativa na valência afetiva em exercício com autosseleção da intensidade rea-lizados por idosos em grupos comunitários, possivelmente causado por fatores psicossociais capazes de influenciar na variabilidade de respostas perceptivas

The self-selected exercise intensity prescription due to greater positive affect is a strategy used to promote adherence of the population to exercise. However, the implications that this strategy may have on the affective valence of the elderly in non-laboratory environments and in group classes have not still investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether self-selected intensity exercise performed in elderly groups can influence affective valence. The sample consisted of 176 elderly, 42 men, with a mean age of 70.70 ± 10.10 years and 134 women, with a mean age of 71.00 ± 6.60 years. The elderly linked to a community center reported affective valence and rating perceived exertion after a 30-minute walk with self-selected intensity. Participants were allocated to three groups according to the terciles of rating perceived exertion: group with low (GBPE), medium (GMPE) and high (GAPE) perceived exertion. It was identified that all groups differ in affective valence [c² (2) = 50,860; p <0.05]. The magnitude of the differences by effect size was moderate in the overall analysis (*ES = 0.331) and between GBPE and GAPE (ES = 0.329). In conclusion, there is a negative implication in affective valence in self-selected exercise intensity performed by the elderly in community groups, possibly caused by psychosocial factors capable of influencing the variability of perceptual responses

Impact of Moderate Aerobic Training on Physical Capacities of Hypertensive Obese Elderly.

The association of old age and chronic conditions, such as hypertension and obesity, can lead to larger decreases in the physical capacities of elderly, compared with their healthy counterparts. Physical exercise has been demonstrated to be efficient in postponing this phenomenon, mainly strength training. However, little is known about the effect of aerobic training on this condition. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of 12 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic training on the physical capacities of hypertensive obese older women. Aerobic power, lower limb muscle power, upper limb muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility of 19 hypertensive obese elders were evaluated. Afterward, patients were blindly randomized into control group (CG) and exercise group (EG). EG underwent three sessions/week of 60 min of moderate-intensity aerobic training, during 12 weeks. EG showed increases in VO2max compared with CG (p = .03) and increases in flexibility compared with basal moment (+21.6%; p = .01) after 12 weeks, whereas CG did not show any significant alterations. Moderate aerobic training is capable of inducing increases in maximal aerobic power and flexibility in hypertensive obese elderly. However, other essential physical capacities associated with independence in elderly people (i.e., muscle power and strength) were not responsive to this kind of protocol.

Prefrontal cortex asymmetry and psychological responses to exercise: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown a relationship between prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation asymmetry and psychological responses to exercise, so that a higher rest activation in left rather than right PFC has been associated with positive psychological responses to exercise such as an improved affect, anxiety and multidimensional arousal states. PURPOSE: To review: 1) evidence that PFC activation asymmetry before exercise is associated with psychological responses to exercise; 2) protocols of PFC asymmetry determination. METHODS: A systematic review (SR) was performed on studies retrieved from the PubMed and Web of Science database up to 04-30-2019. Eligibility criteria were: 1) studies investigating participants submitted to aerobic exercises; 2) including cerebral activation measures through electroencephalography (EEG) before the exercise bout; 3) and psychological measures during or after the exercise bout; 4) original studies. RESULTS: A number of 1901 studies was retrieved from the databases and 1 study was manually inserted. Thereafter, 1858 studies were excluded during the screening stage so that 30 studies remained for the SR. After full reading, 22 studies were excluded and 8 studies composed the final SR. Methodological assessment revealed that 62.5% of the studies showed a low risk of bias, while 34.37% and 3.12% showed either an unclear or a high risk of bias, respectively. Protocols of PFC activation asymmetry used EEG at F3-F4-P3-P4 (3 studies), F3-F4 (2 studies), F3-F4-T3-T4 (1 study), F3-F4-F7-F8-T5-T6-P3-P4 (1 study) and Fp1-Fp2-Fz-F3-F4-F7-F8-Cz-C3-C4-T3-T4-T5-T6-Pz-P3-P4-Oz-O1-O2 (1 study) positions. Most studies (75%) found a higher left PFC activation associated with a greater affect (n = 2), energetic arousal (n = 2), lower anxiety (n = 2) as well as calmness and tired arousal, simultaneously (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Although the heterogeneity of PFC asymmetry protocols, reviewed studies showed a low risk of bias, suggesting that a higher left PFC activation is associated with a positive psychological response to exercise.

Moderate Aerobic Training Decreases Blood Pressure but No Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Hypertensive Overweight/Obese Elderly Patients.

Hypertension and obesity are prevalent diseases in elderly people, and their combination can cause deleterious effects on physiological system. Moderate intensity aerobic training (MIAT) seems to be a beneficial approach to control and treat these diseases separately. However, few studies have investigated the impact of MIAT on cardiovascular risk factors associated with these conditions (i.e., elevated blood pressure values, blood markers, and body composition). Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of MIAT on blood pressure, blood markers, and body composition in hypertensive overweight/obese elderly patients. Twenty-four hypertensive overweight/obese elderly patients were randomized into control group (CG) and training group (TG), submitted to 12 weeks of MIAT of 50 min, 3 days per week, at 60% of maximal HR (heart rate). There was a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (-10.1 ± 3.3; p = .01; effect size = 1.29) and mean arterial pressure (MAP; -8.2 ± 3.7; p = .04; effect size = 0.94) following 12 weeks of training in the TG as compared with baseline. There was an increase in triacylglycerol levels in the TG (+0.1 ± 0.0; p = .02). There were no significant changes in body composition for both groups. The present study revealed that 12 weeks of MIAT can decrease blood pressure in hypertensive obese elderly patients, with no significant modifications in blood markers and body composition.