Search

Endurance athletes experience physical and psychological stress during training and competition that can inhibit performance and promote negative health implications (i.e., lower well-being) without proper coping mechanisms (McCormick et al., 2018; Sakar & Fletcher, 2014). Additionally, these athletes that train at an amateur level have received limited attention regarding coping with stress and how it impacts well-being (McCormick et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was threefold: to (a) determine common coping profiles of trained amateur endurance athletes, (b) explore the relationship between sport well-being and these coping profiles, and (c) examine the potential roles that appraisals might play in the coping-well-being relationship. The results yielded five distinct coping profiles: Mixed Adaptive Copers (MAC), Mixed Maladaptive Copers (MMC), Engaged Copers (EC), Avoidant Copers (AC), and Social Copers (SC). Coping profiles differed across various variables including sport well-being, appraisals, and demographic factors. Overall, MAC and EC had higher levels of sport well-being. MAC viewed stressors as a challenge (i.e., opportunity) compared to EC and AC. These findings suggest the complex nature of coping in sport and that athletes should develop an assortment of coping strategies that provide different strategies for various stressful situations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that he/she has no conflict of interest with this study., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose : The overall aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of older adult exercisers participating in an individualized training program lasting 3 months preparing for completing a triathlon competition. Methods: Fourteen older Norwegian adults (median age (interquartile range, IQR) for males (N=10) and females (N=4) were 70.0 (65.0-75.5) and 57.5 (56.3-62.5) years, respectively) participated in 3-month individualized training program comprising three weekly sessions of running, cycling, and swimming. Both field- and laboratory-based testing were conducted. The participants attended two sports nutrition and competitive psychology seminars focusing on triathlon competition. The participants were interviewed in depth in three different focus groups. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the findings. Results: Participants improved their performance in all field-based tests. After completion of the thematic data analysis the main finding and overarching theme of well-being and being fit emerged. Additionally, three main themes were identified: 1) motivation ; 2) progress and coping ; and 3) breaking barriers . Conclusion: Psychological well-being and satisfaction of being fit seem to be vital to participate in a triathlon competition. Promoting specific age-appropriate participation in sports activities can be an effective strategy for promoting a healthy lifestyle among the elderly.

Background: Current knowledge about the promotion of long-term physical activity (PA) maintenance in cancer survivors is limited. The aims of this study were to 1) determine the effect of self-regulatory BCTs on long-term PA maintenance, and 2) identify predictors of long-term PA maintenance in cancer survivors 12 months after participating in a six-month exercise intervention during cancer treatment., Methods: In a multicentre study with a 2 × 2 factorial design, the Phys-Can RCT, 577 participants with curable breast, colorectal or prostate cancer and starting their cancer treatment, were randomized to high intensity exercise with or without self-regulatory behaviour change techniques (BCTs; e.g. goal-setting and self-monitoring) or low-to-moderate intensity exercise with or without self-regulatory BCTs. Participants' level of PA was assessed at the end of the exercise intervention and 12 months later (i.e. 12-month follow-up), using a PA monitor and a PA diary. Participants were categorized as either maintainers (change in minutes/week of aerobic PA ≥ 0 and/or change in number of sessions/week of resistance training ≥0) or non-maintainers. Data on potential predictors were collected at baseline and at the end of the exercise intervention. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to answer both research questions., Results: A total of 301 participants (52%) completed the data assessments. A main effect of BCTs on PA maintenance was found (OR = 1.80, 95%CI [1.05-3.08]) at 12-month follow-up. Participants reporting higher health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) (OR = 1.03, 95%CI [1.00-1.06] and higher exercise motivation (OR = 1.02, 95%CI [1.00-1.04]) at baseline were more likely to maintain PA levels at 12-month follow-up. Participants with higher exercise expectations (OR = 0.88, 95%CI [0.78-0.99]) and a history of tobacco use at baseline (OR = 0.43, 95%CI [0.21-0.86]) were less likely to maintain PA levels at 12-month follow-up. Finally, participants with greater BMI increases over the course of the exercise intervention (OR = 0.63, 95%CI [0.44-0.90]) were less likely to maintain their PA levels at 12-month follow-up., Conclusions: Self-regulatory BCTs improved PA maintenance at 12-month follow-up and can be recommended to cancer survivors for long-term PA maintenance. Such support should be considered especially for patients with low HRQoL, low exercise motivation, high exercise expectations or with a history of tobacco use at the start of their cancer treatment, as well as for those gaining weight during their treatment. However, more experimental studies are needed to investigate the efficacy of individual or combinations of BCTs in broader clinical populations., Trial Registration: NCT02473003 (10/10/2014)., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether 4 weeks of endurance training could improve tolerance to mental exertion in untrained participants., Design: Longitudinal training study., Methods: Twenty untrained young adults (14 F, 6 M; 27.6±6.2 years) completed a 4-week training protocol in a randomised and counterbalanced order. Baseline and follow-up assessment were conducted over three sessions in the week preceding and following the training period. During session 1, participants completed an incremental maximal ramp test. During sessions 2 and 3 participants completed a 15min cycling time trial preceded by either a mental exertion or control conditions. Following baseline assessments, participants were randomised into a physical training or placebo group that completed the training intervention thrice weekly over four weeks., Results: The physical training resulted in increase in VO 2 peak relative to the placebo group (p=0.003). Linear Mixed Models utilising the control condition time trial performance as a covariate found the physical training group increased their time trial distance following the mental exertion condition to a greater extent than the placebo group (p=0.03). RPE during the time trial and perceptual measures of mental exertion did not significantly change between groups (all p>0.10) although interaction effects were observed when considering the RPE-power output relationship during the time trial., Conclusions: Four weeks of endurance training increased tolerance to mental exertion in untrained participants during a subsequent physical performance, but not during prolonged cognitive performance. This finding suggests that the ability to tolerate mental exertion is trainable in at least some contexts and highlights the far-reaching benefits of endurance training., (Copyright © 2020 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pinealectomy can cause a disturbance in emotional status and circadian rhythms of the endocrine and metabolic functions in the body. Endurance training is considered a part of the complex therapy of dysfunctions driven by changes in circadian dynamics of many physiological indicators. In the present study, we aimed to study the effect of endurance training on depressive behavior induced by pinealectomy in rat. We tested the hypothesis that endurance training can have a beneficial impact on depressive behavior induced by pinealectomy in rat via correction of desynchronized circadian rhythms of corticosterone secretion in plasma and brain-derived neurothrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. The continuous exercise program attenuated depressive responses characterized by the disrupted diurnal rhythm of home-cage motor activity, anhedonia in the sucrose preference test, decreased grooming in the splash test, and despair-like behavior in the forced swimming test of rats with pinealectomy to values resembling those of sham-treated controls. Parallel to the observed positive effect on the emotional status, exercise training diminished total plasma corticosterone levels and corrected its flattened pattern. While the melatonin deficiency did not affect the fluctuations of the BDNF levels, the exercise program induced a considerable and time-dependent increase in its level. These findings suggest that the antidepressant-like effect of endurance training might be mediated via correction of the disturbed circadian rhythm of corticosterone release and enhancement of hippocampal BDNF levels in rats with pinealectomy. Therefore, this alternative mode might have a potential therapeutic application in a subpopulation of people characterized by a melatonin deficiency., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is unclear how high-intensity, interval-type nontraditional exercise training programmes can be feasible and effective options for inactive obese individuals. This randomized controlled trial investigated the hypothesis that a 10-month high-intensity, interval-type neuromuscular training programme (DoIT) with adjunct portable modalities, performed in a small-group setting, induces improvements in psychological well-being, subjective vitality and exercise behavioural regulations in obese women. Associations between adherence, psychological and physiological indicators were also investigated. Forty-nine previously inactive obese females (36.4 ± 4.4 yrs) were randomly assigned to three groups (control; N  = 21, 10-month training; N  = 14, or 5-month training plus 5 month-detraining; N  = 14). DoIT was a supervised, progressive, and time-efficient (<30 min) programme that used 10-12 functional/neuromotor exercises and prescribed work and rest time intervals (20-40 sec) in a circuit fashion (1-3 rounds) for 10 months. Questionnaires were used to measure psychological distress, subjective vitality, and behavioural regulations in exercise at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. The 10-month training reduced psychological distress (72%, p  = 0.001), external regulation (75%, p  = 0.011) and increased vitality (53%, p  = 0.001), introjected regulation (63%, p  = 0.001), intrinsic regulation (33%, p  = 0.004), and identified regulation (88%, p  = 0.001). A moderate to strong positive relationship was found between adherence rate and identified regulation scores ( r  = 0.59, p  = 0.001) and between VO 2 peak and identified regulation scores ( r  = 0.59, p  = 0.001). A mild dissociation between exercise intensity and perceived exertion was also observed. Our novel findings suggest that a 10-month implementation of a high-intensity interval neuromuscular training programme promotes positive psychological adaptations provoking exercise behavioural regulation and adherence while inducing weight loss in inactive obese women.

Memory impairment is common in persons with epilepsy (PWE), and exercise may be a strategy for its improvement. In this pilot study, we hypothesized that exercise rehabilitation would improve physical fitness and verbal memory and induce changes in brain networks involved in memory processes. We examined the effects of combined endurance and resistance exercise rehabilitation on memory and resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). Participants were randomized to exercise (PWE-E) or control (PWE-noE). The exercise intervention consisted of 18 supervised sessions on nonconsecutive days over 6 weeks. Before and after the intervention period, both groups completed self-report assessments (Short Form-36 (SF-36), Baecke Questionnaire (BQ) of habitual physical activity, and Profile of Mood States (POMS)), cognitive testing (California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II)), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); PWE-E also completed exercise performance tests. After completing the study, PWE-noE were offered cross-over to the exercise arm. There were no differences in baseline demographic, clinical, or assessment variables between 8 PWE-noE and 9 PWE-E. Persons with epilepsy that participated in exercise intervention increased maximum voluntary strength (all strength tests p < 0.05) and exhibited nonsignificant improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.15). Groups did not show significant changes in quality of life (QOL) or habitual physical activity between visits. However, there was an effect of visit on POMS total mood disturbance (TMD) measure showing improvement from baseline to visit 2 (p = 0.023). There were significant group by visit interactions on CVLT-II learning score (p = 0.044) and total recognition discriminability (d') (p = 0.007). Persons with epilepsy that participated in exercise intervention had significant reductions in paracingulate rsFC with the anterior cingulate and increases in rsFC for the cerebellum, thalamus, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and left and right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) (corrected p < 0.05). Change in CVLT-II learning score was associated with rsFC changes for the paracingulate cortex (r S  = -0.67; p = 0.0033), left IPL (r S  = 0.70; p = 0.0019), and right IPL (r S  = 0.71; p = 0.0015) while change in d' was associated with change in cerebellum rsFC to angular/middle occipital gyrus (r S  = 0.68; p = 0.0025). Our conclusion is that exercise rehabilitation may facilitate verbal memory improvement and brain network functional connectivity changes in PWE and that improved memory performance is associated with changes in rsFC. A larger randomized controlled trial of exercise rehabilitation for cognitive improvement in PWE is warranted., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)