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Purpose: To investigate the short-term effect of self-selected training intensity (SSTI) on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive older women. Participants and Methods: This is a randomized, single-blind, two-arm, parallel-group controlled trial that included 40 medicated hypertensive older women (64.4± 3.6 years; resting systolic 118± 19 and diastolic BP 68± 9 mmHg). SSTI intervention was performed three times per week, 30– 50 minutes per session (n=20). The control group participated in health education meetings once per week (n=20). Ambulatory BP (primary outcome) and six-minute walking test performance (secondary outcome) were assessed at baseline and following 8 weeks of intervention. Heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE, 6– 20), and affective valence (ie, feeling scale, − 5/+5) were recorded during all SSTI sessions. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were used for data analyses. Results: Fifteen participants from the SSTI group and 17 from the control group completed the study. No differences in ambulatory BP (24-h, awake, and asleep) were observed between SSTI and control groups (intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses; p> 0.05). The SSTI group showed a greater six-minute walking test performance than the control group in the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses (p< 0.05). The participants exercised at 52± 10% of HR reserve reported an RPE of 11± 1 and an affective valence of 3.4± 1.1 over the 8-week period. Conclusion: SSTI is a feasible approach to induce a more active lifestyle and increase health-related fitness in hypertensive older women, although it does not improve BP control over a short-term period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and low muscle strength are independently associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in older adults. This study investigated the isolated and combined associations of low CRF and muscle strength with MetS in older adults. This cross-sectional study included 184 older adults (71% women; aged 65.6 ± 4.3 years) without a prior history of cardiovascular disease. CRF and muscle strength were assessed by the six-minute walking test and 30-s chair stand test, respectively. Results below the 25th percentile of the cohort were used to define low CRF and low muscle strength. MetS was defined according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. Poisson's regression with robust variance was used to determine the prevalence ratio (PR) for MetS. Reference group was composed by older adults with both CRF and muscle strength above 25th percentile. Prevalence of low CRF, low muscle strength, and combined low CRF and muscle strength was 22.8%, 17.9%, and 10.9%, respectively. The prevalence of MetS was 56.5% in the full cohort. Isolated low CRF (PR 1.05, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.52; p = 0.793) and muscle strength (PR 1.09, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.61; p = 0.651) were not associated with MetS in the adjusted analysis. Combined low CRF and muscle strength was associated with MetS (PR 1.45, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.93; p = 0.011). Older adults with combined, but not isolated, low CRF and muscle strength showed an increased risk for MetS. • Older adults with combined low CRF and dynapenia show a higher risk for MetS. • We suggest an additive effect of combined low CRF and dynapenia for CVD. • The term cardiodynapenia was coined to characterize combined low CRF and dynapenia. • The screening of cardiodynapenia in older adults may be useful in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We investigated the associations between physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with vascular health phenotypes in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 82 participants (66.8 ± 5.2 years; 81% females). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed using accelerometers, and CRF was measured using the distance covered in the 6-min walk test (6MWT). The vascular health markers were as follows: i) arterial function measured as aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) estimated using an automatic blood pressure device; and ii) arterial structure measured as the common carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). Using a combination of normal cIMT and aPWV values, four groups of vascular health phenotypes were created: normal aPWV and cIMT, abnormal aPWV only, abnormal cIMT only, and abnormal aPWV and cIMT. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the beta coefficients ( β ) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) adjusting for BMI, and medication for diabetes, lipid, and hypertension, sex, age, and blood pressure. Results: Participants with abnormal aPWV and normal cIMT (β = -53.76; 95% CI = -97.73--9.78 m; p = 0.017), and participants with both abnormal aPWV and cIMT (β = -71.89; 95% CI = -125.46--18.31 m; p = 0.009) covered less distance in the 6MWT, although adjusting for age, sex and blood pressure decreased the strength of the association with only groups of abnormal aPWV and cIMT covering a lower 6MWT distance compared to participants with both normal aPWV and cIMT (β = -55.68 95% CI = -111.95-0.59; p = 0.052). No associations were observed between MVPA and the vascular health phenotypes. Conslusion: In summary, poor CRF, but not MVPA, is associated with the unhealthiest vascular health phenotype (abnormal aPWV/cIMT) in older adults., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 de Sousa, Silva, Freire, Souto, Câmara, Cabral, Macêdo, Costa and Oliveira.)

We compared physiological and psychological responses between low-volume high-intensity interval training (LV-HIIT) sessions with different work-recovery durations. Ten adult males performed two LV-HIIT sessions in a randomized, counter-balanced order. Specifically, 60/60 s LV-HIIT and 30/30 s LV-HIIT. Oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), carbon dioxide output (VCO 2 ), ventilation (VE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), perceived exertion (RPE), and affect were assessed. During intervals, the VO 2 (3.25 ± 0.57 vs. 2.83 ± 0.50 L/min), VCO 2 (3.15 ± 0.61 vs. 2.93 ± 0.58 L/min), VE (108.59 ± 27.39 vs. 94.28 ± 24.98 L/min), and RPE (15.9 ± 1.5 vs. 13.9 ± 1.5) were higher (ps ≤ 0.01), while RER (0.98 ± 0.05 vs. 1.03 ± 0.03) and affect (-0.8 ± 1.4 vs. 1.1 ± 2.0) were lower (ps ≤ 0.007) in the 60/60 s LV-HIIT. During recovery periods, VO 2 (1.85 ± 0.27 vs. 2.38 ± 0.46 L/min), VCO 2 (2.15 ± 0.35 vs. 2.44 ± 0.45 L/min), and affect (0.6 ± 1.7 vs. 1.7 ± 1.8) were lower (ps ≤ 0.02), while RER (1.20 ± 0.05 vs. 1.03 ± 0.05; p < 0.001) was higher in the 60/60 s LV-HIIT. Shorter LV-HIIT (30 s) elicits lower physiological response and attenuated negative affect than longer LV-HIIT (60 s).