Physical activity in outdoor spaces, sleep quality and general health: a pilot feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity and nature exposure provide health benefits. This study aimed to test the feasibility of an intervention designed to examine the effects of environmental quality on physical activity, sleep, and health status. METHODS: In this pilot feasibility study, we included 14 inactive adults from Limerick (Ireland) and Lahti (Finland), recruited using social media. The intervention was an 8-week self-guided programme of physical activity, in which participants were asked to select an outdoor route according to their convenience, engage in physical activity (walking or running) at least three times a week for at least 30 min/session, and record each session using a mobile app. Participants were provided with training sheets, self-adapted according to convenience, in an in-person meeting when detailed information was provided. Reminder messages were sent during the intervention. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was measured through an accelerometer over a 9-day measurement period (considering the 50th percentile: >P50, ≤P50). Sleep quality and general health status were self-reported. Measurements were taken in weeks 1 and 8. We analysed differences, between MVPA percentile groups and general sample, in change from week 1 to 8, using χ2 and paired t-tests, with significance at p values lower than 0·05. The study was approved by the ethics committee from the University of Limerick and Satakunta Universities. FINDINGS: 26 adults were enrolled in the study between Oct 3, 2022, and Feb 9, 2023, of whom 18 (69%) were women and eight (31%) were men, with a mean age of 46 years (SD 9·7). 14 (54%) of 26 adults completed the 8-week intervention, of whom 11 were women and three were men, with a mean age of 46 years (SD 10·79). On average, participants performed their training sessions 19 times (mean 19·2, SD 9·4). Mean time in MVPA decreased from 49·7 min (SD 27·0) at week 1 to 46·7 min (32·3) at week 8 (p=0·604); mean health status score increased from 66·43 (SD 26·63) to 68·57 (26·63; p=0·586); and the frequency of good sleepers increased from 50% to 64·3% (p=0·266). In both moments, participants classified in the higher MVPA percentile group (>P50) presented higher mean health status score and higher frequency of good sleepers then those in the lower percentile group (≤P50), although the differences were not significant. INTERPRETATION: Study limitations include the absence of a control group and the sample size. Although results were not significant, they were promising, since it might be an easy and low-cost strategy to increase physical activity with potential impact on public health. Lessons learned led to changes in the design, and a larger multicentre study will be carried out to understand the relationship of the variables in groups performing physical activity in green and "paved" spaces. FUNDING: European Union's Horizon 2020.

Workplace physical activity practices in real life: a scoping review of grey literature for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to scale-up effective physical activity (PA) programmes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where the uptake of PA interventions is low. Identifying real-life workplace practices in PA could contribute to a better understanding of what PA programmes might be most grounded in the 'real world'. However, there is a scarcity of evidence showing what gets done. This study aimed to identify, describe and comprehensively summarize the real-life implementations of workplace PA initiatives, particularly in Europe, as a prior step to disseminating future feasible PA practices for SMEs. METHODS: A scoping review of grey literature included a systematic search in the Google advanced search platform that permuted a combination of key concepts (PA, workplace, interventions/programmes), internet domains, and search operators in six different languages (Catalan, Finnish, French, Dutch, English and Spanish) between 2015 and November 2020. The analysis process was iterative, and multiple methods were used to sort, group and categorize the initiatives. RESULTS: There were a total of 713 real-life workplace PA initiatives from different-sized organizations identified. These were categorized into five themes: active work and living, exercise and fitness programs, management and leadership, communication and dissemination, and facilities. Finally, feature trees showing a menu for real-life workplace PA practices were implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying real-life practice providing a state-of-the-art snapshot of current PA practices in workplaces, which is a starting point to better understand feasible practices in the context of small- and medium-sized workplaces.

The effects of a four-day march on the gonadotrophins and mood states of army officers.

The effects of daily repeated prolonged exercise on gonadotrophin levels and mood states were studied in six physically active army officers participating in a 4-day march totaling 185 km. We hypothesized that submaximal daily repeated prolonged exercise may disturb the balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, which could be determined from the concentrations of serum luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone with time-resolved immunofluorometric assay. In addition, the mood states of the men were followed during the exercise period. The results indicate that soldiers who are in good physical condition and are accustomed to marching are capable of marathon walking on 4 successive days while carrying a 10-kg backpack, without any major adverse effects on the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis or mood states. This study indicates that psychological monitoring and physiological measurements could be of value in following responses to daily repeated prolonged psychophysiological stress in field conditions with soldiers.

Benefits of home-based rocking-chair exercise for physical performance in community-dwelling elderly women: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Home-based exercise is a viable alternative for older adults with difficulties in exercise opportunities outside the home. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of home-based rocking-chair training, and its effects on the physical performance of elderly women. METHODS: Community- dwelling women (n=51) aged 73-87 years were randomly assigned to the rocking-chair group (RCG, n=26) or control group (CG, n=25) by drawing lots. Baseline and outcome measurements were hand grip strength, maximal isometric knee extension, maximal walking speed over 10 meters, rising from a chair five times, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The RCG carried out a six-week rocking-chair training program at home, involving ten sessions per week, twice a day for 15 minutes per session, and ten different movements. The CG continued their usual daily lives. After three months, the RCG responded to a mail questionnaire. RESULTS: After the intervention, the RCG improved and the CG declined. The data showed significant interactions of group by time in the BBS score (p=0.001), maximal knee extension strength (p=0.006) and maximal walking speed (p=0.046), which indicates that the change between groups during the follow-up period was significant. Adherence to the training protocol was high (96%). After three months, the exercise program had become a regular home exercise habit for 88.5% of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that home-based elderly women benefit from this easily implemented rocking-chair exercise program. The subjects became motivated to participate in training and continued the exercises. This is a promising alternative exercise method for maintaining physical activity and leads to improvements in physical performance.

Hormonal responses to daily strenuous walking during 4 successive days.

The hormonal response to 4 days' walking exercise (totaling 164 km) was examined among 15 healthy males. We hypothesised that submaximal daily, repeated, prolonged exercise may disturb the balance of the adrenal cortex and pituitary-testicular axis, which could be analysed from the concentrations of serum cortisol and testosterone, and with time-resolved immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). In the adrenal cortex the increased response to acute exercise could be seen after the 1st day. The concentration of testosterone was reduced after the first two exercise sessions and a plateau was reached after the 3rd day of walking. LH decreased during the 2nd and 3rd day by 31% (P = 0.04 and 0.001, respectively) and remained steady on the 4th day. In FSH the suppression was seen all the time after the second exercise session and before the final walk it was reduced by 19% (P = 0.02) compared with the baseline. The acute response of the adrenal cortex and pituitary-gonadal axis (excluding secretion of FSH) disappeared within 4 days of repeated prolonged walking and no dramatic lasting changes occurred despite this major 4-day effort. However, when using the sensitive IFMA, which can detect low concentrations of gonadotropins, secretion of FSH was seen to remain reduced and no stability was seen.