The New Way to Exercise? Evaluating an Innovative Heart-rate-controlled Exergame

Author(s):  
Sascha Ketelhut ◽  
Lisa Röglin ◽  
Eva Kircher ◽  
AnnaLisa Martin-Niedecken ◽  
Reinhard Ketelhut ◽  
...  

AbstractExergames may offer novel opportunities to expand physical activity. Most games, however, only result in low to moderate-intensity activities that are too low to allow relevant physical adjustments. In the present study, the exercise intensity of a new, heart rate controlled, functional fitness game was assessed. 28 subjects (aged 24.8±3.8 yrs; 46% female; BMI 23.2±2.3 kg/m2) were enrolled in this study. VO2max and maximal heart rate (HRmax) were assessed during a maximal graded exercise test on a treadmill and compared with the oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) during a game in the ExerCube.In the ExerCube, the subjects reached a peak HR of 187.43±9.22 bpm, which corresponds to 96.57±3.64% of their HRmax. The mean HR throughout the game was 167.11±10.94 bpm, corresponding to 86.07±4.33% of HRmax. VO2peak reached 41.57±5.09 ml/kg/min during the game in the ExerCube, which corresponds to 84.75±7.52% of VO2max. The mean VO2 consumption during the game reached 32.39±4.04 ml/kg/min, which corresponds to 66.01±5.09% of VO2max. The ExerCube provides a form of vigorous physical exercise. Due to its playful, immersive, and motivating nature, the ExerCube seems to be a promising tool to facilitate physical activity.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205970022110448
Author(s):  
Alessandra Ventura ◽  
Fausto Romano ◽  
Mario Bizzini ◽  
Antonella Palla ◽  
Nina Feddermann

Objective Dysfunction of the autonomic cardiovascular system after a concussion is known to cause exercise intolerance due to symptoms exacerbation. The aim of this study was to compare athletes with symptoms of a sport-related concussion and healthy controls with regard to their heart rate during a graded exercise test and their heart rate recovery during the 5 min cool-down after the graded exercise test. Methods Sport-related concussion patients ( N = 61; 31% female) and controls ( N = 16; 50% female) participated in a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer followed by 5 min active cool-down. Based on the results of graded exercise tests they were divided into four groups: (1) patients who reached the symptom threshold and had to stop the graded exercise test (symptom threshold; N = 39; 33.3% female), (2) patients with symptoms who finished the graded exercise test (S; N = 16; 25% female), (3) patients without symptoms (NS; N = 6; 33.3% female), (4) controls ( N = 16; 50% female). Main outcome measures Heart rate, severity of headache and dizziness during graded exercise test, heart rate recovery (median (heart rate recoveries/maximal heart rate) ± median absolute deviation (MAD)) 30, 60 and 300 s after the start of cool-down. Results Heart rate recovery at 30 s was significantly slower in symptom (0.95 ± 0.01) compared to all other groups ( p < 0.002; symptom threshold: 0.92 ± 0.02, NS: 0.91 ± 0.02, controls: 0.93 ± 0.02). Heart rate recovery at 60 s was significantly slower in symptom (0.90 ± 0.02) compared to the symptom threshold and controls ( p < 0.041; 0.86 ± 0.03, 0.85 ± 0.04). Heart rate recovery at 300 s was significantly slower in symptom threshold (0.72 ± 0.05) compared to controls ( p = 0.003; 0.66 ± 0.02). Conclusions Heart rate measurements in athletes with symptoms of sport-related concussion should be continued during cool-down after the graded exercise test, as dysfunction of the autonomic cardiovascular system might manifest also during cool-down.


2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrine Tudor-Locke ◽  
Barbara E. Ainsworth ◽  
Melicia C. Whitt ◽  
Raymond W. Thompson ◽  
Cheryl L. Addy ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between objectively determined ambulatory activity and simple cardiorespiratory parameters (heart rate and blood pressure at rest and during submaximal exercise) in individuals who were stratified for self-reported participation (yes/any vs. no/none) in vigorous physical activity (PA). Ninety-eight subjects (African Americans: 7 M, 16 F; Caucasians: 33 M, 42 F; mean age 46.4 ± 15.4 yrs; mean BMI 26.7 ± 4.8) wore a pedometer for 21 consecutive days and completed a 10-min submaximal treadmill graded exercise test with HR (beats/min) and BP (mmHg) measured while walking at 4.8 km/hr and a 10% grade. Subjects averaged 7,618 ± 3,045 steps/day. There were no differences in steps/day by self-reported vigorous PA strata. There was an inverse relationship (r = −0.35, p = 0.03) between steps/day and resting HR in subjects who reported no vigorous PA. There was an inverse relationship (r = −0.22, p = 0.04) between steps/day and submaximal HR in all subjects. When stratified for self-reported vigorous PA, the inverse relationship between steps/day and submaximal HR was stronger for those reporting no vigorous PA (r = −0.39, p = 0.01) vs. those reporting any vigorous PA (r = 0.28, p = 0.05). There was no relationship between steps/day and BP at rest or during exercise in this normotensive sample. Key words: walking, blood pressure, heart rate


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5006
Author(s):  
Andrés Aguirre ◽  
Maria J. Pinto ◽  
Carlos A. Cifuentes ◽  
Oscar Perdomo ◽  
Camilo A. R. Díaz ◽  
...  

Physical exercise (PE) has become an essential tool for different rehabilitation programs. High-intensity exercises (HIEs) have been demonstrated to provide better results in general health conditions, compared with low and moderate-intensity exercises. In this context, monitoring of a patients’ condition is essential to avoid extreme fatigue conditions, which may cause physical and physiological complications. Different methods have been proposed for fatigue estimation, such as: monitoring the subject’s physiological parameters and subjective scales. However, there is still a need for practical procedures that provide an objective estimation, especially for HIEs. In this work, considering that the sit-to-stand (STS) exercise is one of the most implemented in physical rehabilitation, a computational model for estimating fatigue during this exercise is proposed. A study with 60 healthy volunteers was carried out to obtain a data set to develop and evaluate the proposed model. According to the literature, this model estimates three fatigue conditions (low, moderate, and high) by monitoring 32 STS kinematic features and the heart rate from a set of ambulatory sensors (Kinect and Zephyr sensors). Results show that a random forest model composed of 60 sub-classifiers presented an accuracy of 82.5% in the classification task. Moreover, results suggest that the movement of the upper body part is the most relevant feature for fatigue estimation. Movements of the lower body and the heart rate also contribute to essential information for identifying the fatigue condition. This work presents a promising tool for physical rehabilitation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Easley ◽  
W. Scott Black ◽  
Alison L. Bailey ◽  
Terry Lennie ◽  
Kelly D. Bradley ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoi Lam Ng ◽  
Johannes Trefz ◽  
Martin Schönfelder ◽  
Henning Wackerhage

Abstract Background: Face masks are an effective, non-pharmacological strategy to reduce the transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other pathogens. However, it is a challenge to keep masks sealed during exercise, as ventilation can increase from 5-10 L/min at rest to up to 200 L/min so that masks may be blown away from the face. To reduce leakage e.g. during exercise, a face mask was developed that is taped onto the face. The aim of this study was to investigate during a graded cycle ergometry test the effect of a taped mask on the perception of breathlessness, heart rate, lactate, and oxygen saturation when compared to a surgical mask and no mask.Methods: Four trained and healthy males and females each (n=8 in total) performed incremental cycle ergometer tests until voluntary exhaustion under three conditions: (1) No mask/control, (2) surgical mask or (3) taped mask. During these tests, we measured perception of breathlessness, heart rate, the concentration of blood lactate and peripheral oxygen saturation and analysed the resultant data with one or two-way repeated measures ANOVAs. We also used a questionnaire to evaluate mask comfort and analysed the data with paired t-tests. Results: When compared to wearing no mask, a taped face mask significantly reduces the maximal workload in a graded exercise test by 12±6% (p=0.001). Moreover, with a taped face mask, subjects perceive severe breathlessness at 12±9% lower workload (p=0.012) and oxygen saturation at 65% of the maximal workload is 1.5% lower (p=0.018) when compared to wearing no mask. Heart rate and the concentration of lactate were not significantly different at any workload. When compared to wearing a surgical mask, wearing a taped face mask has a significantly better wearing comfort (p=0.038), feels better on the skin (p=0.004), there is a lower sensation of moisture (p=0.026) and wearers perceive that less heat is generated (p=0.021). We found no sex/gender differences for any parameters. Conclusions: A taped mask is well tolerated during light and moderate exercise intensity but reduces maximal exercise capacity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byron Lai ◽  
Drew Davis ◽  
Mai Narasaki-Jara ◽  
Betsy Hopson ◽  
Danielle Powell ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Access to physical activity among youth with spina bifida (SB) is much lower than it is for children without disability. Enjoyable home-based exercise programs are greatly needed. OBJECTIVE Our objective is to examine the feasibility of a virtual reality (VR) active video gaming system (ie, bundle of consumer-available equipment) to meet US physical activity guidelines in two youth with SB. METHODS Two youth with SB—a 12-year-old female and a 13-year-old male; both full-time wheelchair users—participated in a brief, 4-week exercise program using a popular VR head-mounted display: Oculus Quest (Facebook Technologies). The system included a Polar H10 (Polar Canada) Bluetooth heart rate monitor, a no-cost mobile phone app (VR Health Exercise Tracker [Virtual Reality Institute of Health and Exercise]), and 13 games. The intervention protocol was conducted entirely in the homes of the participants due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The VR system was shipped to participants and they were instructed to do their best to complete 60 minutes of moderate-intensity VR exercise per day. Exercise duration, intensity, and calories expended were objectively monitored and recorded during exercise using the heart rate monitor and a mobile app. Fatigue and depression were measured via self-report questionnaires at pre- and postintervention. Participants underwent a semistructured interview with research staff at postintervention. RESULTS Across the intervention period, the total average minutes of all exercise performed each week for participants 1 and 2 were 281 (SD 93) and 262 (SD 55) minutes, respectively. The total average minutes of moderate-intensity exercise performed per week for participants 1 and 2 were 184 (SD 103) (184/281, 65.4%) and 215 (SD 90) (215/262, 82.1%) minutes, respectively. One participant had a reduction in their depression score, using the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) test, from baseline to postintervention, but no other changes were observed for fatigue and depression scores. Participants reported that the amount of exercise they completed was far higher than what was objectively recorded, due to usability issues with the chest-worn heart rate monitor. Participants noted that they were motivated to exercise due to the enjoyment of the games and VR headset as well as support from a caregiver. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that two youth with SB who used wheelchairs could use a VR system to independently and safely achieve exercise guidelines at home. Study findings identified a promising protocol for promoting exercise in this population and this warrants further examination in future studies with larger samples.


2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Melin ◽  
Philippe Obert ◽  
Pierre Bonnet ◽  
Daniel Courteix

In order to assess possible influences of socioeconomic status and gender on habitual physical activity (HPA) of prepubertal French children, daily heart rate was 24-hr-monitored in 65 normal subjects for 2 days in the same school week. HPA was evaluated as the mean daily time spent at heart rates greater than 140 bpm (tFC > 140), 160 bpm (tFC > 160), 50% (tFC > 50%), and 70% (tFC > 70%) of the heart rate reserve. An effect of socioeconomic status (determined by questionnaire) was found in boys, with HPA being greater in the underprivileged ones (tFC > 140: 51.8 ± 30.1 vs 33.0 ± 14.1 min, p < .05; tFC > 160: 22.7 ± 16.6 vs 11.1 ± 7.4 min, p < .05; tFC > 50%: 61.4 ± 33.5 vs 46.5 ± 17.1 min, p < .06; tFC > 70%: 20.1 ± 15.2 vs 10.6 ± 7.1, p < .05). Boys were more active than girls, but only in the underprivileged group (tFC > 140: 51.8 ± 30.1 vs 32.8 ± 26.0 min, tFC > 160: 22.7 ± 16.6 vs 9.9 ± 8.2 min, p < .05; tFC > 50%: 61.4 ± 33.5 vs 37.4 ± 23.8 min, p < .05; tFC > 70%: 20.1 ± 15.2 vs 8.1 ± 6.3, p < .05). Cultural factors could be involved in these results. Key words: habitual physical activity, heart rate, heart rate meter, gender, energy expenditure


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua R Sparks ◽  
Xuewen F Wang

Background: Glucose concentrations in a fasted and during a glucose challenged state rely on different mechanisms for regulation. In a fasted state, hepatic regulation of glucose is important; while in a glucose challenged state, muscle glucose disposal becomes more important. Evidence suggests that physical activity of moderate or higher intensities can increase muscle glucose disposal during an insulin-stimulated state, but has less effect on hepatic insulin sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between glucose concentrations (fasting and after an oral glucose ingestion) and minutes of physical activity at moderate- and vigorous-intensity in a large population. Methods: The sample included 2,807 adults (47.4% male and 52.6% female) aged 18-80 years who participated in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 2013-2014 and who did not take any diabetic medications. Minutes being physically active at moderate- and vigorous-intensities during work, and recreationally, were collected using the Physical Activity Questionnaire, which was based on the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Moderate-intensity physical activity was defined as any activity that caused a small increase in breathing or heart rate, while vigorous-intensity physical activity was defined as large increases in breathing or heart rate. Both intensities had to be performed for a minimum of 10 continuous minutes. Plasma glucose concentrations at fasting and 2 hours after consumption of a drink containing 75g glucose (2-hour glucose) were determined. Pearson product correlations were performed for analysis. Results: The population had 141±133 (mean±SD) minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity during work and 63±56 minutes recreationally, as well as 174±156 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity during work and 77±56 minutes recreationally. Minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity performed during work was associated with 2-hour plasma glucose concentrations (r=0.15; p=0.045); this association was not affected after adjusting for age, race, and sex (p=0.049), but was no longer significant after BMI was also adjusted (p=0.059). Recreational or total minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, and moderate-intensity physical activity was not associated with 2-hour glucose (p>0.20). Additionally, none of the physical activity minutes was associated with fasting glucose (p>0.27). Conclusion: Self-reported vigorous-intensity physical activity during work was positively associated with 2-hour glucose, but not fasting glucose. The results are surprising. Further studies with objective physical activity measures are needed to examine the associations with fasting and 2-hour glucose.


Author(s):  
Shaea Alkahtani ◽  
Andrew A. Flatt ◽  
Jawad Kanas ◽  
Abdulaziz Aldyel ◽  
Syed Shahid Habib

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of recreational aerobic physical activity (PA) type and volume on heart rate variability (HRV) in Arab men. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study, and included men (n = 75, age = 37.6 ± 7.1 years, body mass index (BMI) = 26.7 ± 3.1 kg/m2) who were members of a walking group, cycling group, or were inactive controls. Monthly distances from the past three months were obtained from walking and cycling groups, and the volume of PA was classified into three subgroups (high, moderate, low). HRV was measured using a computerized electrocardiographic data acquisition device. R–R interval recordings were performed while participants rested in a motionless supine position. RR intervals were recorded for 15 minutes, and a five-minute segment with minimal ectopic beats and artifacts was selected for HRV analysis. Time-domain parameters included the mean R–R interval, standard deviation of the mean R–R interval (SDNN), and root-mean-squared difference of successive RR intervals (RMSSD). The frequency-domain parameters included high-frequency power (HF), low-frequency power (LF), and LF to HF ratio (LF/HF). Results showed that there were no significant differences between walking, cycling, and control groups for all HRV parameters. Time-domain analyses based on PA volume showed that age-adjusted SDNN for the high-active group was greater than the low-active group (P = 0.03), and RMSSD for the moderate-active group was greater than the control group (P = 0.009). For the frequency domain, LF for the high-active group was greater than the low-active and control groups (P = 0.006), and HF for the moderate-active group was greater than the low-active group (P = 0.04). These data indicate that walking >150 km per month, or cycling >100 km per month at a speed >20 km/h may be necessary to derive cardiac autonomic benefits from PA among Arab men.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 591-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Cavalcante Carvalho ◽  
Patrícia dos Santos Vigário ◽  
Dhiãnah Santini de Oliveira Chachamovitz ◽  
Diego Henrique da Silva Silvestre ◽  
Pablo Rodrigo de Oliveira Silva ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document