Exercise Science

Exercise has the potential to decrease negative side effects, lower societal medical costs, and increase quality of life. Exposure to physical exercise increased participation and led the way for a variety of pilot testing movement-based interventions with a diverse, rural, clinical mental health patient population in treatment for numerous clinical diagnoses. The original research (Reuille-Dupont, 2015) is briefly outlined before a discussion of theory used to determine and perform movement-based interventions for psychological and physical health goal treatments. Throughout the paper, psychological and exercise science theory and research are overlaid to explain the physical implications and psychological shifts of movement-based treatment. It is important to understand common terminology to engage clients and other health care practitioners in movement-based treatment for psychological and physical health. In addition, as specialists in understanding the body’s role in experience, it is the somatic psychologist’s responsibility to promote and advocate for “exercise as medicine” when possible. Included are visuals to help outline and overlap the disciplines for better understanding, increased awareness, and expanding the language somatic psychologists need to engage in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

Keywords: physical movement treatment, movement for mental health, exercise science, somatic psychology

For medieval Icelanders, horses were among the most important animals. It should come as no surprise, as they were used for transport, in pagan rites (hippomancy, funerals, sacred horses), eating, and also for sports. These sports were the horse-fights (hestavígs) and horse-racing (skeið). Reading the sagas, one can find a lot of references to horse-fighting. This sport was considered of such importance among medieval Icelanders that laws have been written down regarding this entertainment, yet there is no exact description of how such events were organized. Only by putting all the references together can one endeavor to explain what these horse-fights may have actually been like. In my paper I would like to present the basis for these horse-fights. Their terminology has been frequently misinterpreted, and no critical investigation yet exists into the staging and organization of such events, which would shed light on the meaning and role of this sport to medieval Icelanders. It will be shown that horse-fighting functioned not only as brutal entertainment in itself, but also played a social role in the broader context of inter-district assemblies.

This investigation examined the long term effect of Karate techniques training on communication of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thirty school aged children with ASD were randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). Participants in the exercise group were engaged in 14 weeks of Karate techniques training. Communication deficit at baseline, post-intervention (week 14), and at 1 month follow up were evaluated. Exercise group showed significant reduction in communication deficit compared to control group. Moreover, reduction in communication deficit in the exercise group at one month follow up remained unchanged compared to post-intervention time. We concluded that teaching Karate techniques to children with ASD leads to significant reduction in their communication deficit

Existing research supports a wide range of positive effects for physical, mental and social wellbeing from outdoor exercise, particularly through engagement with nature, however few current landscapes facilitate exercise participation and efficacy for older persons and often require targeted design refinement to foster accessibility, inclusivity and sociability. In order to identify how therapeutic landscape design can be developed to best assist older persons' health and wellbeing, epidemiological data, injury statistics, and currently available outdoor fitness equipment that is specifically marketed for use by older persons were examined. A number of problematic design issues were identified including poor equipment design; failure to integrate cognitive tasks; and minimal integration of safe, age and ability-specific elements. This paper advocates rekindling the connection to public green space in order to foster disability prevention and promote rehabilitation in older persons. The incorporation of design elements that specifically address elements of prevalent morbidities and concerns, such as psychological restoration, stress reduction, attention recovery, the health and wellbeing of older persons in the community could be improved. Age-specific design suggestions include integrating interactive landscapes with ecological regenerative planning to assist with the prevention of common morbidities in older persons.

This milestone text provides a comprehensive and state-of-the art overview of perfectionism theory, research, and treatment from the past 25 years, with contributions from the leading researchers in the field. The book examines new theories and perspectives including the social disconnection model of perfectionism and the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism. It also reviews empirical findings, with a special focus on stress, vulnerability, and resilience, and examines perfectionism in specific populations. Finally, it considers how perfectionism relates to physical health and psychophysiological processes and introduces new approaches to effective prevention and treatment. By increasing our understanding of perfectionism as a complex personality disposition and providing a framework for future explorations, this landmark publication aims to promote further research in this field. It will be invaluable reading for academics, students, and professionals in personality psychology, clinical and counselling psychology, applied psychology and related disciplines.

Older adults show an increased risk of falling as they age, but dance interventions of various genres have been shown to improve postural stability in this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a ten-week beginning ballet intervention on postural stability for older adults. Eleven participants enrolled in the Dance Group (DG; 73.3 ± 10.6 years) while six enrolled in the Control Group (CG; 69.5 ± 11.9 years) via convenience sample. Following the intervention, no significant differences were seen within the DG from pre-to post-testing or when comparing delta values (post minus pre) between groups in the center of pressure area, displacement, or speed (p > 0.05). While no differences were seen with this intervention, the ballet barre was used for approximately half of each dance class; future ballet interventions for older adults may benefit from training without a barre to enhance potential effects on postural stability.

The main purposes of the present study were to substantiate the existence of the four types of performance categories (i.e., optimal-automatic, optimal-controlled, suboptimal-controlled, and suboptimal-automatic) as hypothesised in the multi-action plan (MAP) model, and to investigate whether some specific affective, behavioural, psychophysiological, and postural trends may typify each type of performance. A 20-year-old athlete of the Italian shooting team, and a 46-year-old athlete of the Italian dart-throwing team participated in the study. Athletes were asked to identify the core components of the action and then to execute a large number of shots/flights. A 2 × 2 (optimal/suboptimal × automated/controlled) within subjects multivariate analysis of variance was performed to test the differences among the four types of performance. Findings provided preliminary evidence of psychophysiological and postural differences among four performance categories as conceptualized within the MA...

Physical activity plays a vital role in the prevention and treatment of Type2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) (Hayes and Kriska, 2008). During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity is shown to be imperative in helping support a strong immune system (Chastin et al., 2021) and patients with COVID-19 who have been consistently physically inactive have a significantly higher risk of severe outcomes than patients who were doing some activity (Sallis et al., 2021). Therefore, the objective of this qualitative study was to evaluate the sufferer's perception of physical inactivity and its social determinants among people with diabetes. Interviews were conducted with 14 participants with diabetes aged 40-60 years old living in the UAE in June-July 2021. The barriers of physical activity were explored through in-depth, semistructured, audio-taped interviews. Barriers for physical inactivity were grouped around five themes: (1)Life-altering COVID-19: the pandemic that changed the world (2)Social and cultural norms: Islamic faith and family are the two most important influences among Arabs (3)Fatigue: prolonged sitting (due to long commute and sedentary jobs) and in some participants post-viral fatigue syndrome due to COVID-19 infection (4)Fear of illness: due to hyperthermia and comorbidities (5)Impact of lockdown. The prevalence of physical inactivity is high among Arabs. Weather restrictions and cultural obligations may lead to reduction in physical activity levels. Therefore, meeting physical activity guidelines can reduce the risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes among infected adults and is likely to prevent increases in diabetes incidence in this population.

The research study at the center of this proposal focuses on Mind-Body Medicine strategies to improve clinical outcomes in inpatient psychiatry settings. More specifically, multidisciplinary approaches in the areas of clinical psychology and behavioral medicine have been utilized to better support the healing process and treatment plans for patients with multiple mental health diagnosis.

Perfectionism in sports has been shown to be associated with burnout in athletes. Whether perfectionism predicts longitudinal changes in athlete burnout, however, is still unclear. Using a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, the present study examined perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, and athlete burnout in 101 junior athletes (mean age 17.7 years) over 3 months of active training. When structural equation modeling was employed to test a series of competing models, the best-fitting model showed opposite patterns for perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Whereas perfectionistic concerns predicted increases in athlete burnout over the 3 months, perfectionistic strivings predicted decreases. The present findings suggest that perfectionistic concerns are a risk factor for junior athletes contributing to the development of athlete burnout whereas perfectionistic strivings appear to be a protective factor.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) , as a cause of death and illness, is increasing, which is also associated with lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Physical exercise can improve CRF and spur increases IL-6 (an anti-inflammatory) induced through this same means, which therefore reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases. In addition, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) have a positive effect on health. This study aims to compare the effect of HIIT versus MICT on CRF and the acute response to exercise-induced plasma IL-6 in healthy and untrained adolescents. Methods: An experimental study with a pre-post design was conducted on 60 untrained and healthy adolescents aged 16.1 ± 0.4. The groups had been trained for 6 weeks with a frequency of three days weekly, while V̇O2max and blood sampling were performed before and after this activity. The CRF was tested using a multi stage fitness test (MFT), and IL-6 plasma levels were measured with ELISA methods. Results: HIIT increased CRF from 31.2 ± 5.8 to 35.6 ± 6.9 mL / kg / min (p <0.001) and MICT elevated V̇O2max from 32.3 ± 6.8 to 37.3 ± 6.7 mL / kg / min (p <0.001). In fact, there was no significant difference (p = 0.292) between the two types of training. There was no change in the acute response of the IL-6 at the time of the first and last exercise in both groups. Conclusion: Teenagers need to practice the HIIT and MICT training to reap the associated health benefits. The acute inflammatory response to exercise did not increase significantly, but there were elevated levels of plasma IL-6 afterward.

CHAPTER•••• 14 Soccer and social capital in Australia: Social networks in transition Daniel Lock, Tracy Taylor and Simon Darcy ... For example, sporting clubs have been found to promote mas-culine aggression, tensions (Kerr, 2005) and crowd violence (Hughson, 2000a). ...

Objective: To determine if the tenets of the health belief model explain exercise behavior among residents of Kakamega county. Design: The study design was a cross-sectional analytical, that utilized quantitative methods. Setting: The study was conducted in Kakamega County, located in Western Kenya. Kakamega County has twelve sub-counties; Kakamega North (Malava), Kakamega Central (Lurambi), Kakamega South (Ikolomani), Kakamega East (Shinyalu) and Butere/Mumias. Sample: Simple random sampling was used to sample respondents. The formula that was used for calculating the sample size was Cochran with an attrition rate of 10% ( n = 221). The sample consisted of participants from five sub-counties of Kakamega: Kakamega central (23.1%), Kakamega south (22.6%), Kakamega east (22.2%), Butere (17.5%) and Kakamega north (14.5%) Analysis: Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The alpha level for all the computations was considered significant at an α 1.96) and loaded s...

Issue addressed
parkrun is a free, weekly, timed, international mass community 5‐km walk/run event. Unlike other paid events, parkrun attracts populations harder to engage in physical activity (PA) (eg, women, those with overweight/obesity or illness/injury/disability). This exploratory qualitative study investigated the individual, social and environmental factors associated with parkrun's broad appeal in Australia.

Methods
Tasmanian parkrunners who completed a quantitative survey (2016) were purposively recruited for a 2017 interview study. Semistructured interviews focused on reasons for parkrun participation. Data saturation was achieved by the tenth interview. Data were analysed thematically.

Results
Four themes emerged: (a) participation facilitators and barriers; (b) PA gain and broader community benefit; (c) social connections/networks; and (d) organisational issues. Appealing characteristics of parkrun included strong social support, performance gain opportunities, socialising, inclusivity (eg, all ages/abilities), sense of community, positive atmosphere and accessibility (eg, no cost and convenience). Some participants reported that parkrun had stimulated gains in their total PA (not always limited to walking/running) and that parkrun may also result in other community benefits (eg, supporting local businesses, fee‐based running club/event participation and “parkrun tourism”). Most participants first attended parkrun because of encouragement from their social networks, and participants subsequently encouraged others to attend. Participants found parkrun events well organised, but identified some potential threats (eg, local politics).

Conclusions
Social factors appeared critical in driving initial and ongoing parkrun participation. parkrun may lead to wider community benefits beyond that gained through increased individual PA. These findings highlight the “success factors” driving parkrun participation and provide insights for other community‐based PA promotion activities.

Introduction Anaerobic power is power used in high-intensity bouts of exercise lasting fewer than ten seconds; which is the peak amount of time for phosphocreatine reserves to empty as a primary fuel source. It is expressed in terms of watts of force per kilogram of bodyweight. Power is considered a crucial component in overall athleticism. Ample power tends to be a key difference maker in short-terms bouts of fast twitch, Type I myo-fiber, events. For example, athletic events, or competitions which call for optimal power output, are weight lifting, sprinting, jumping and wrestling, although may other team sports and individual sports and competitions also have high anaerobic power output demands. Anaerobic power can be measured and improved. The three physical assessments in this study are commonly used to measure power. Each has been researched and normative and standards have been established for force production by their use. They are the Vertec vertical jump, Force plate and Wi...

This study examines the relationship between imagery and confidence in athletes. The Sport Imagery Questionnaire and a Self-Confidence questionnaire were used to collect data. The samples consisted of athletes who are from the Khon Kaen Sport School in Thailand and who regularly participate in sports training (5 days a week). All subjects (n=120) were selected by purposive sampling and consisted of 71 (59.2 %) male and 49 (40.8 %) female athletes. Our analysis considered two parameters, imagery and selfconfidence, which were evaluated with regards to the physical fitness level and experience of the athletes. The data was analyzed using a t-test to determine the difference of the means between imagery and self-confidence measures in males and females. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) (P&lt;0.05) was used to evaluate differences across the groups, and linear regression and correlation analyses (r =0.71) were used to compare between genders, physical fitness, and experience levels. The res...

Research has demonstrated that exercising has health promoting effects. However, if habitual sporting activities become uncontrollable, detrimental health consequences can occur among a minority of individuals. Furthermore, such obligatory exercise can cause serious decline in school/work productivity, as well as financial problems, relationship problems , and poor psychological and physical wellbeing. The aim of the present study was to compare characteristics related to exercise dependence (ED) between recreational exercisers and amateur competitors. A total of 1439 participants (41.4 % male; mean age = 32 years) completed a battery of measures including the Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS), SCOFF, Well-Being Questionnaire, and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. Results showed that 6.5 % of participants identified themselves as amateur competitive exercisers. Amateur competitors exercised significantly more (6.4 h) than non-competitor recreational exercisers (4.6 h). Amateur competitors also scored significantly higher on the EDS. Significant effects were found between competing and self-esteem concerning ED. Results showed that both features had a strong effect on ED. The study highlights the connection between ED symptoms and lower self-esteem and/or lower levels of subjective wellbeing. These influential factors are worth considering when planning preventive interventions addressing ED for both amateur competitors and non-competitive recreational athletes as well as when promoting sport as a healthy activity.

In humans, socio-environmental cues play an important role in determining adaptive psychophysiological states and behaviours. In sport and exercise, cues to cohesive groups and close, supportive relationships are ubiquitous, possibly because of their effects on neurobiological mechanisms underlying physical performance. Clinical research has shown that the presence of supportive others can lead to reductions in perceptions of pain, while research from sport and exercise science has shown that pain and physical fatigue occupy ranges on a single spectrum of physical discomfort, which works to regulate outputs during strenuous physical exertion. Given the similar neurobiological underpinnings of pain and fatigue, the involvement of both in the self-regulation of strenuous physical outputs, and the effects of social support on perceptions of pain and neurophysiological stress responses more generally, we hypothesised that perceptions of social support affect outputs during strenuous physical exercise by altering activity in self-regulatory mechanisms involved in perceptions of pain and fatigue. We used a between-subjects experimental design to test this hypothesis, varying participants' social support and measuring physical outputs and perceptions of physical discomfort and exertion during a series of maximum-effort cycling bouts. Analyses showed that participants in the social support condition produced greater initial outputs and steeper declines over time, compared to controls. This effect was moderated by participant neuroticism; an important predictor of how individuals react to social support. We discuss these findings in terms of proposed causal mechanisms linking supportive, cohesive social environments with self-regulation and physical performance.

Self-efficacy may be associated with high risk behaviors in climbers operating at outdoor venues, though little is known about climbers recruited at indoor venues or less risky forms of rock climbing. Two-hundred and one active rock climbers (163 male) aged 16 to 62 years were recruited at five outdoor and six indoor climbing venues in Britain in a retrospective study. The relationship of self-efficacy to the frequency and difficulty of high and medium risk rock climbing behaviors was modelled using linear regression. Climbers high in self-efficacy engaged in both high and medium risk forms of rock climbing more frequently (β ≥ 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04 - 0.32) and at a higher level of difficulty (β ≥ 0.20, 95% CI 0.04 - 0.36). These associations were attenuated slightly with adjustment for covariates, though all remained significant. The same pattern of associations was observed for climbers recruited at indoor and outdoor venues, and for male and female climbers. Roc...

Background Although higher psychological well-being has been linked with a range of positive biological processes and health outcomes, the prospective association between psychological well-being and physical activity among older adults has been understudied. Purpose We tested whether higher baseline psychological well-being predicted higher levels of physical activity over time. Methods Prospective data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationally representative sample of English adults over the age of 50. Our sample included 9986 adults who were assessed up to six times across an average of 11 years. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each standard deviation increase in baseline psychological well-being was associated with higher median physical activity in linear regression models that examined physical activity across all six waves (β = 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18–0.21) and in linear mixed effect models that examined repeated measures of physical activity over the entire follow-up period (β = 0.20; 95% CI 0.19–0.21). Further, higher baseline psychological well-being was associated with a slower rate of decline in physical activity among people who were active at baseline (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.79, 95% CI 0.76–0.82) and increasing physical activity among people who were inactive at baseline (HR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.22–1.35). Findings were maintained after adjusting for baseline health status and depression. Conclusions Psychological well-being was independently associated with attaining and maintaining higher physical activity levels over 11 years, suggesting that it may be a valuable target for interventions aimed at helping older adults acquire more physical activity.

Book reviewed: Sport and character – reclaiming the principles of sportsmanship, by C. Clifford and R.M. Feezell (2010) Human Kinetics Champaign Illinois.
Involvement in sporting activity may only lead to sporting character (?) – a curious juxtaposition for real life.
Reviewing Sport and Character: Reclaiming the Principles of Sportsmanship has been both an interesting and frustrating assignment. Unfortunately, it seems reasonable to report at the outset that a higher degree of frustration has been experienced from reading this book than any serious interest which might have been generated from this otherwise very absorbing and philosophically challenging area of discussion in sport.

If performance studies is to explore sports from the perspective of athletes, coaches form a potential pool of allies as they are engaged in their own ‘para-ethnographic’ studies of athletes’ performance. This paper examines developmental coaching, that is, the teaching of skills, as a form of applied phenomenology, drawing on examples from the author’s fieldwork on capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian dance and martial art. In particular, the paper explores an instructor’s intervention when the author was trying to learn to plantar bananeira (‘to plant a banana tree’), the capoeira version of a handstand. The intervention had several stages, all revealing an acute perception of how the learning experience was structured: the coach pantomimed incorrect practice to increase the author’s self awareness, diagnosed what part of the skill I might be able to learn next, and created a tailored exercise to shift the author’s perceptions. Studying this sort of coach-athlete interaction helps us to better understand performance traditions, but it also poses a series of challenges in terms of shifting our scale, recognising that we will not produce certain forms of theoretical narrative, and taking phenomenological analysis seriously.