Ryutsu Keizai University

Many older adults who participate in exercise classes for health promotion already possess higher levels of daily physical activity and physical fitness. Integrating health promotion with non-health-related activities may be a more effective strategy for engaging individuals with lower levels of daily physical activity and physical fitness. To test this hypothesis, the present study implemented exercise (EX), disaster prevention learning (DP), and combined (EX×DP) classes. Community-dwelling individuals aged 61–87 years participated in the EX (n = 21), DP (n = 15), or EX×DP (n = 31) classes. Performance on the 10-time sit-to-stand test was lower in the EX×DP group compared to the EX group. The 5m walk at the fastest pace was faster in the EX group than in the DP group; however, no significant difference was observed between the DP and EX×DP groups. Although no significant differences were observed between the EX and EX×DP groups in habitual exercise time for walking, muscular-strength exercise, or cycling, the EX×DP group reported less time spent on other forms of exercise, such as yoga and table tennis. Additionally, self-efficacy for, and perceived health benefits of, the strength exercise were lower in the EX×DP group compared to the EX group. Habitual exercise time increased in both the EX and EX×DP groups during the six weeks following the classes relative to baseline. Notably, improvements in the 10-time sit-to-stand test were observed only in the EX×DP group. These findings suggest that integrating health promotion with non-health-related activities is a more effective strategy for engaging older adults with lower levels of physical fitness compared to the exercise-only activity.

This study aimed to investigate through a case study how two graduate students viewed physical education classes and how their graduate school learning experiences influenced the factors that shaped their views on physical education classes.

Nailfold capillary patterns can be observed noninvasively using light microscopy. Nailfold capillaries are straight, U-shaped, and densely looped in healthy individuals and may be altered by disease or lifestyle factors, such as diet. However, the effects of daily physical activity and exercise training on nailfold capillary patterns remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise training on nailfold capillary patterns by investigating these patterns in endurance athletes, ballgame athletes, and sedentary healthy men. Five healthy men participated in nailfold capillary pattern measurements on three consecutive days to test the reproducibility and bilateral differences in the nailfold capillary loop density, length, and width measured using light microscopy and a commercial analysis system. The nailfold capillaries of 10 endurance athletes (endurance group; eight long-distance runners and two triathletes), 10 ballgame athletes (ballgame group; seven soccer players and three basketball players), and nine sedentary healthy men (sedentary group) were then examined using light microscopy. The day-to-day coefficient of variation for the nailfold capillary loop density, length, and width were 4.9% ± 1.6%, 7.5% ± 1.3%, and 4.2% ± 1.5%, respectively. No significant differences in these measurements were observed between the dominant and non-dominant hands. Nailfold capillary density was greater in the ballgame group than in the endurance and sedentary groups. Capillary loop length was shorter in the ballgame group than in the endurance and sedentary groups. No significant differences in capillary loop density and length were observed between the endurance and sedentary groups. No significant intergroup differences were observed in capillary loop width. These results suggest that the nailfold capillary patterns of male ballgame athletes differ from those of endurance athletes and sedentary healthy men. Ballgame training may affect nailfold capillary patterns in sedentary healthy men.

Proper physical activity, even at a very light intensity such as walking or slow running, improves brain health related to prefrontal executive function and hippocampal memory. However, the neural mechanism behind the cognitive enhancement that occurs during dynamic aerobic exercise is elusive and remains unclear in humans. Recently, pupillometry has been attracting attention as a kind of readout of the brain's ascending arousal mechanism, especially for brain noradrenergic and cholinergic system activation. Thus, to identify the neural mechanism behind the effects of very-light-intensity exercise, our recent work has focused on pupillometry during aerobic exercise, and we have successfully shown the efficacy of pupil dilation as a biological marker, even during very-light-/light-intensity exercise (below the ventilatory threshold). Interestingly, neuromelanin-MRI contrast in the LC, a marker of LC integrity, predicted the magnitude of exercise-induced pupil dilation and psychological arousal changes at the individual level. In addition, we have found that pupil dilation during exercise predicted the positive impact of acute very-light-/light-intensity exercise on prefrontal executive performance and hippocampal memory performance. The series of exercise pupillometry studies we will discuss here provides essential insights into the neural substrates of the advantages of exercise-induced brain stimulation in humans.

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Nordic hamstring strength (NH strength) and single leg bridge test (SLBT) scores are used to predict the risk of hamstring strain injury. Although NH strength and SLBT scores may be related, the relationship between NH strength and SLBT score remains unknown. This study investigated the relationship between NH strength and SLBT scores in university soccer players. Cross-sectional study. Research laboratory. 38 male university soccer players. NH strength and SLBT scores. A participant was instructed to lean forward gradually at the slowest possible speed from a kneeling posture with the knee joint flexed 90° for the NH strength measurement. Participants in the SLBT crossed their arms over their chests, pushed down from their heels, and lifted their hips off the ground as many times as they could until they failed. We investigated the relationship between NH strength and SLBT scores in the left and right sides using Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Additionally, we calculated the percentage of left-right asymmetry in NH strength and SLBT scores and investigated the relationship between these variables using Pearson correlation coefficient. There were no significant correlations between NH strength and SLBT scores in the right (rs = .239, P = .16) and left (rs = .311, P = .065) legs. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between NH strength and SLBT between-limb asymmetry (r = .073, P = .671). NH strength and SLBT scores could be different indexes, indicating either maximal muscle strength or muscle endurance. Thus, the findings suggested that when assessing risk factors for hamstring strain injury, both NH strength and SLBT scores should be measured.

The ratio of circulating estradiol to testosterone has been identified as a powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease in men. Obesity results in an increased circulating estradiol/ testosterone ratio and is a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Aerobic exercise is a well-known preventive and effective strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of regular aerobic exercise on the circulating estradiol/testosterone ratio in overweight and obese men has not been clarified. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a 12week aerobic exercise program on the circulating estradiol/testosterone ratio in overweight and obese men. Fifteen overweight and obese men (mean age, 46 ± 3 years; body mass index, 28.7 ± 1.0 kg/m 2 ) completed a 12-week aerobic exercise intervention (90 min/session, one to three sessions/week). Before and after the intervention, we measured the circulating levels of estradiol and testosterone and calculated the estradiol/testosterone ratio in overweight and obese men. After the intervention, serum testosterone levels increased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas plasma estradiol levels did not change significantly. The circulating estradiol/testosterone ratio significantly decreased after the 12-week aerobic exercise intervention (p < 0.05). These results suggest that 12-week aerobic exercise decreases the circulating estradiol/testosterone ratio as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and reflects the decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease in overweight and obese men.

Previous studies have found that implicit attitudes, in addition to explicit attitudes, toward sports and exercise can help predict health-related behaviors. This study aimed to explore the factors that determine implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise. Using an online experiment, we investigated two types of implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise: desirability and enjoyment. Implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise were measured using two different Implicit Association Test (IAT) for desirability and for joy. We examined the degree to which “sports and exercise” were perceived to be more strongly associated with positive words than “sedentary behaviors.” We hypothesized that past experiences with sports and exercise affect implicit attitudes, and that desirability and enjoyment (positive implicit attitudes) might differ qualitatively. Participants included 318 students (230 male and 88 female, M = 19.62, SD = 1.78) who completed online questionnaires consisting of one of the two types of IAT. The results indicated that male participants have more positive implicit attitudes for both joy and desirability, and people with sports competence tend to have higher positive implicit attitudes concerning joy, but not desirability. Interest in professional sports was related to both IATs, while only the joy IAT was related to self-reported physical competence and the frequency of playing sports. The contributions of this study show that the two types of implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise—desirability and joy—are associated with different behaviors, and perceiving sports and exercise as joyful leads people to lifelong sports participation.

American football is associated with a high risk of cervical injuries. In order to prevent these injuries, head acceleration during head impacts is currently being studied, but no studies have examined the effects on the neck. We aimed to examine the effects of head impact kinematics (the number of head impacts, maximum head linear acceleration [LA], and maximum head angular acceleration [AA]) on cervical vertebral translation (VT) in collegiate American football players over a one-year period. Twenty-two players (5 linemen and 17 skill players) who belonged to T university in the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association Division 2. We examined the relationship between the total number of head impact kinematics over a 1-year period and the amount of cervical vertebral translation as measured by a mouth guard with a 6-axis accelerometer. The total number of head impacts of subjects was 12,368. For skill players, the 4th cervical vertebral movement distance was significantly correlated with the maximum AA (r = 0.49, P = 0.04) and also with the maximum LA (r = 0.48, P = 0.05). In Japanese collegiate American football players, it was suggested that the repeated head impacts with large maximum LA and AA generated in the head affected the amount of the 4th cervical vertebral translation. In particular, skill players were affected, so they need to develop safer tackle skills even when tackling at high speed. This may result in a decrease in acceleration during head impact, leading to a decrease in the load on the cervical spine.