PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effects of regular moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and blood lipid profile in normal-weight obese women. METHODS The participants in the study were normal-weight obese women in their 20’s, divided into moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (VIAE) groups. Aerobic exercise was performed three times a week for 8 weeks. To verify the exercise effect, pre- and post- body composition, resting metabolic rate, and blood lipid profile were analyzed. RESULTS Weight and body fat decreased in both groups, and lean body mass and resting metabolic rate increased in the VIAE group. Blood TC, TG, and LDL-C decreased in both groups and HDL-C increased in the VIAE group. CONCLUSIONS In normal-weight obese women, vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise is more effective than moderate intensity aerobic exercise for improving body composition, resting metabolic rate and blood lipid profile.
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of sports injuries among badminton national team candidates during training camps and to identify appropriate measures for players to effectively manage and respond to such injuries in the future. METHODS The participants consisted of 123 individuals who took part in national team candidate training camps for badminton in 2022 and 2023. Record sheets were utilized to document the athletes' thoughts and opinions related to exercise injuries during the training period. RESULTS Badminton national team candidates experienced exercise-related injuries in various areas, including the ankles, thighs, knees, hips, shoulders, and back. Female players had a higher incidence of lower body injuries compared to their male counterparts. Through interviews with players about these injuries, individualized approaches involving appropriate rest and training adjustments were found to be necessary; additionally, educating the players about rehabilitation strategies for exercise injuries is essential. CONCLUSIONS When conducting recreational training activities, it is important to avoid fostering excessive competitive attitudes. Additionally, if potential risks are present within the exercise environment, it is crucial to assess and address these with the utmost caution.
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effects of accelerated rehabilitation exercise on physical fitness, lower extremity isometric strength, and blood variables in older adult women diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis. METHODS A total of 29 older adult women diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis residing in G city participated in the study, and 19 participants, excluding dropouts, took part in the experiment. They underwent exercise twice a week for 60 minutes per session over a period of 12 weeks. Pre- and post-experiment, the older adult fitness assessment (SFT), lower extremity isometric strength, and blood variables were measured. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0, and paired sample t-tests were conducted to examine the effects before and after exercise. RESULTS The study results showed significant differences in body mass index (BMI) before and after exercise (p<0.05), and the older adult fitness assessment (SFT) showed significant differences in all items (p<0.01). Lower extremity isometric strength showed significant differences in absolute (Nm) and relative (%BW) values of 20° right flexion muscle (p<0.01). In terms of blood variables, significant differences were observed in creatine and ESR before and after exercise (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study’s results suggest that regular physical activity and rehabilitation exercise programs can positively impact the muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, exercise function, and blood composition of older adult women diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis. It is indicated that conducting future research, including periodic exercise programs, could be beneficial in promoting sustained exercise participation.
PURPOSE This study aimed to examine the effects of an 8-week gluteus medius strengthening exercise on back pain, balance, and strength in female office workers with low back pain. METHODS The participants of this study were female office workers aged 30 to 48 years old who reported low back pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 3 to 7. Twenty-six participants were randomly assigned to the exercise (n=13) and control (n=13) groups. The study applied a gluteus medius strengthening program to the exercise group for 8 weeks, three times a week, and 60 minutes per session. The participants in the control group were asked to maintain their normal life patterns during the period of intervention. Data collected from the test were analyzed through repeated two-way ANOVA, paired t-test, and independent t-test. RESULTS First, there has been a significant decrease in the pain level, as evidenced by VAS and Korean oswestry disability index (KODI) scores. Second, there was a statistically significant improvement in both static and dynamic balance capabilities. Last, back strength also significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS Application of the gluteus medius strengthening exercise appears to be effective for low back pain, static and dynamic balance capabilities, and back strength.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify a sport-specific assessment for elite race walking athletes by comparing physiological responses to different types of walking graded exercise test (GTX) protocols. METHODS Six elite race walking athletes completed two types of walking protocols in a randomized crossover design with 1 week of interval between trials. Exercise time, oxygen uptake (VO2), ventilation (VE), and heart rate (HR) were measured in each trial; the lactate level was measured during the recovery period. RESULTS VO2, VE, and HR differed significantly between the trials (p<.01~.05). Exercise time (p<.01) and VO2 (p<.05) differed significantly between the walking protocols; however, VE and HR did not differ significantly. During the recovery period, lactate levels differed significantly between the trials (p<.01), but not the walking protocol. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that modified walking GXT protocols were appropriate to assess elite race walking athletes.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an eye movement exercise intervention on cognitive function and prefrontal cortex connectivity in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. METHODS Ten older adults with mild cognitive impairment participated in eye movement exercise consisting of saccadic eye movement, pursuit eye movement, vestibular-ocular eye movement, and vergence eye movement for 4 weeks. Cognitive function (MoCA-K), reaction time during stroop task, and prefrontal cortex connectivity were measured using the functional near-infrared spectrometric analyzer (fNIRS) before and after the intervention. RESULTS First, cognitive function of the elderly with mild cognitive impairment showed significant improvement after the eye movement exercise (p < .05). Second, reaction time decreased significantly from 1.16 to 0.91 ms after eye movement exercise. Third, the strength of prefrontal cortex connectivity (left OFC - right FPC, right OFC - right FPC) increased after the intervention in the older adults with mild cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that eye movement exercise is an effective intervention for improving cognitive function through improvement of brain functional connection in the elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on mitochondrial quality control in the APP/sw transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease(AD). Methods The experimental mice were divided into non-tg-control (NTC, n=10), tg-control (TC, n=10), and tg-exercise (TE, n=10), and treadmill exercise was conducted for 12 weeks (15m/min, 60min, 5 times/week). And then, we measured the cognitive function using MWM and the brain cortex was evaluated to determine whether any changes in the oligomer Aβ, apoptotic-related factors, mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Results As a result, treadmill exercise significantly reduced oligomer amyloid and also had a positive effect on proteins (PUMA, Bax, Bcl-2) associated with apoptosis. In addition, through the treadmill exercise, PINK-1 decreased, and increased parkin, showing that active inhibition of mitophagy has been partially relaxed. It has been confirmed that the key autophagy markers LC3 and p62 significantly reduce p62 expression in TE group compared to TC group, and that LC3-II/LC3-I ratio tended to decrease, although not significant, increasing the activity of mitophagy. Next, proteins related to mitochondrial biosynthesis (SIRT-1, PGC-1α, Tfam, and COX-IV) have been identified, and the treadmill exercise has confirmed that the expression of all proteins has increased in part. Finally, cognitive has been shown to improve cognitive by shortening both swimming distance and time through treadmill exercise. Conclusions Thus, our finding suggested treadmill exercise alleviates cognitive dysfunction by improving mitochondrial quality control(mitophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis) and neuronal cell death via reducing amyloid accumulation, which may play a role in a preventive strategy for AD.
Purpose This study was designed to examine the effects of a single corrective exercise (CEX) and corrective kinesio taping (CKT) on gait patterns, plantar pressure, balance, and pain in 20~30s female patients with moderate hallux valgus. Methods Twenty-one participants (age: 30.1±5.1 yrs; height: 164.1±4.8 cm; body weight: 56.7±6.8 kg; body mass index: 21.2±5.7 kg·m-2; hallux valgus angle: 27.2±6.1°) with hallux valgus was recruited and participated in three trials, i.e., CEX trial, CKT trial, and combined CEX and CKT (CEX+CKT) trial, repeatedly in a counter-balanced order. One week of wash-out period was placed between the trials to minimize the effect of the previous treatment on the next treatment. Variables related to gait pattern, plantar pressure, balance, and pain were measured during each treatment. We carried out repeated two way ANOVA on measured variables. Results 1) Regarding gait patterns, CEX treatment and CEX+CKT treatments showed significant increases in the length of patients strides, the single support line during the stance phase, and significant reduction of the cadence. 2) Regarding gait cycle, CEX treatment and CEX+CKT treatments showed significant reductions in the contact times of forefoot, midfoot, and heel. There was a significant reduction of double stance phase in CEX treatment. 3) Regarding foot pressure on gait, CEX+CKT treatments significantly increased the maximum pressure of midfoot and heel. CEX treatments significantly increased the maximum pressure of forefoot. 4) Regarding balance, CEX treatment and CKT treatments significantly increased one leg standing with eyes closed. 5) Pain was significantly reduced in CKT treatment and CEX+CKT treatments. Conclusions According to the aforementioned results, it was concluded that a single CKT treatment was effective in reducing pain when walking and that plantar pressure, gait pattern, gait cycle, and balance were improved through a single bout of CEX treatments. Therefore, treatments by stage, starting with CKT treatments to reduce the pain, and then treating CEX to improve the gait pattern, gait cycle, foot pressure when walking, and balance ability, would be effective. Future research is warranted to identify the effects of long-term treatments.
Purpose The current study investigated the effects of exercise information using social network service(SNS) to identify changes of physical activity and psychological variables among inactive college students. Methods Inactive college students(30 experimental group, 30 control group) were voluntarily participated in the 12-weeks intervention. During this period, the experimental group received exercise information through SNS. And all study participants’ physical activity, stages of physical activity, self-efficacy, motivation, and perceived benefits and barriers were measured at the pre, mid and post intervention. Frequency analysis, chi-square test, 2-way ANOVA RM were conducted to analyze data obtained in the study. All procedures were performed by using SPSS 23.0. Results The exercise information intervention using SNS during 12 weeks had a positive effect on the stages of physical activity of inactive college students, and there were statistically significant differences. In addition, physical activity, perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, motivation positively improved after the intervention, but there were no statistically significant differences between experimental and control group. Conclusions The present study suggests that psychological strategies using various SNS programs have positive effects for inactive college students to increase physical activity and its related psychological variables.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of regular vigorous- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level, aging- and lifestyle disease-related blood components in middle-aged women. Methods The participants were recruited from a total of 19 physically healthy people aged 50-59 years, and were randomly divided into vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (VIAE, n = 10) and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MIAE, n = 9) group. The participants were performed vigorous- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for eight weeks, and body composition measurement, graded exercise test, blood collection were performed before and after. Results Mean exercise time was significantly longer in the MIAE group than in the VIAE group. The V̇O2max was significantly higher in the VIAE group than in the MIAE group. Body weight, BMI, and body fat percentage were significantly lower than pre both groups. The BDNF concentration was significantly higher in the VIAE group than in the MIAE group. The dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration were significantly higher than pre both groups. The free fatty acid and triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower than pre both groups, and HDL-C concentrations were significantly higher than pre both groups. Conclusions Vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise not only increases maximal oxygen uptake and blood BDNF level in middle-aged women, but also induces positive changes in aging-related hormones and lifestyle-related blood variables.
