Tag Archive for 'esercizio'

Brain and physical exercise

Published on January 3, 2024 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: cervello, esercizio.

The data emerging from research in motor sciences, or as I prefer to say, the science of movement, demonstrate the reciprocal influence between physical exercise and the structures and functions of the brain. The connections between sedentary lifestyles and health, and the positive influence of movement on well-being, are well known. Research in this regard shows how physical exercise, in its various forms and depending on its intensity, duration over time, length of individual sessions, and their frequency, affects the central nervous system, the immune and cardiovascular systems, and other vital functions. These systems also include cognitive processes (memory, attention, and perception), emotional aspects, and more generally, those processes that allow for the planning, organization, and evaluation of our daily actions.

It is evident that discussing motor and psychomotor processes as different no longer makes sense, as we must understand that there are interrelated systems that participate in determining who we are and what we do. Therefore, every movement and action of ours is an expression of the interaction of these elements, which wonderfully provide us with the possibility to meet our daily needs and objectives.

In sports, we have always talked about closed and open sports to distinguish between disciplines with cyclical and repetitive movements (for example, short-distance running: 100 and 200 meters, jumps and throws, track cycling) and predominantly tactical or situational disciplines in which competitive conditions are constantly changing (for example, team sports, tennis, road cycling). Stated in this way, it may seem that there are sports in which thinking is more important than others. However, the issue is much more complex. In fact, team sports also have repetitive aspects – the fundamentals of these sports, closed skills such as penalties and free kicks – just as performances in closed sports are influenced, for example, by athletes’ mental attitude and their ability to manage expectations and competitive pressure.

Classifications are useful for identifying the most significant differences among sports, but at the same time, they should not become rigid boxes because this approach does not allow for maintaining the complexity and value of human performance.

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Exercise and cancer prevention

Published on February 21, 2021 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: attività fisica, cancro, esercizio, tumori.

Getting regular exercise is about to become increasingly important to help prevent cancer.
A growing number of people report gaining weight after cutting back on physical activity, while others say they eat more junk food.
Being overweight or obese leaves individuals vulnerable to tissue damage and cancer development, with more than a dozen types of cancer that have been linked to excess weight in recent studies.
Tobacco and smoking remain the leading cause of cancer; obesity is now the second highest risk and is likely to become the leading cause in the future.
People are quitting smoking but increasing numbers are becoming overweight and obese.
It is predicted that by 2040 obesity will have surpassed smoking as the leading preventable cause of cancer.
breast and bowel cancers benefit from better physical activity.
Scientists found that gentle exercise reduced levels of liver inflammation in mice, which can lead to tumors, and improved metabolism in older mice, even in those that had advanced liver disease. Physiological activityResearch is important because liver cancer rates in humans have increased by three-fifths in the UK over the past decade,
135,000 cases of cancer – about four out of 10 British cases – could be prevented each year largely through lifestyle changes with more physical activity.
The real problem is having too much fat in our bodies. However, there is plenty of evidence that helping people become more active can do a lot of good. And this area is understudied, so it’s very possible that there may be more cancer prevention benefits through increased physical activity that we don’t yet know about.

(Source: The Guardian)

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Be aware of your motivation

Published on April 2, 2020 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: esercizio, motivazione.

We often talk about athletes’ motivation but not always with the same frequency we teach how to understand their personal motivation.

I want to propose two useful exercises to reflect on this point in a constructive way.

First exercise

Sit comfortably in a chair, close your eyes, take three deep breaths and think about the difficult moments you encounter during training and racing, the fatigue, mistakes and defeats experienced, and assess whether you’re willing to face other difficult moments and be committed to overcoming them.

Second exercise

Sit comfortably in a chair, close your eyes, take three deep breaths and think about the successes you can achieve and the races you can win, the joy you can feel after a brilliant performance and all the positive things that can happen thanks to the quantity and quality of your training. Evaluate whether they are enough to keep your motivation high.

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Copenhagen Consensus statement 2019: physical activity and ageing

Published on May 3, 2019 in Corsa, Generale and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: anziani, attività fisica, esercizio.

Bangsbo J, Blackwell J, Boraxbekk C, et al Copenhagen Consensus statement 2019: physical activity and ageing. Br J Sports Med Published Online First: 21 February 2019.

Abstract

From 19th to 22nd November 2018, 26 researchers representing nine countries and a variety of academic disciplines met in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity and older adults. It was recognised that the term ‘older adults’ represents a highly heterogeneous population. It encompasses those that remain highly active and healthy throughout the life-course with a high intrinsic capacity to the very old and frail with low intrinsic capacity.

The consensus is drawn from a wide range of research methodologies within epidemiology, medicine, physiology, neuroscience, psychology and sociology, recognising the strength and limitations of each of the methods. Much of the evidence presented in the statements is based on longitudinal associations from observational and randomised controlled intervention studies, as well as quantitative and qualitative social studies in relatively healthy community-dwelling older adults.Nevertheless, we also considered research with frail older adults and those with age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and in a few cases molecular and cellular outcome measures from animal studies.

The consensus statements distinguish between physical activity and exercise. Physical activity is used as an umbrella term that includes both structured and unstructured forms of leisure, transport, domestic and work-related activities. Physical activity entails body movement that increases energy expenditure relative to rest, and is often characterised in terms of intensity from light, to moderate to vigorous. Exercise is defined as a subset of structured physical activities that are more specifically designed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cognitive function, flexibility balance, strength and/or power.

This statement presents the consensus on the effects of physical activity on older adults’ fitness, health, cognitive functioning, functional capacity, engagement, motivation, psychological well-being and social inclusion. It also covers the consensus on physical activity implementation strategies. While it is recognised that adverse events can occur during exercise, the risk can be minimised by carefully choosing the type of activity undertaken and by consultation with the individual’s physician when warranted, for example, when the individual is frail, has a number of co-morbidities, or has exercise-related symptoms, such as chest pain, heart arrhythmia or dizziness.

The consensus was obtained through an iterative process that began with the presentation of the state-of-the-science in each domain, followed by group and plenary discussions. Ultimately, the participants reached agreement on the 30-item consensus statements.

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Worldwide fitness trends for 2019

Published on February 4, 2019 in Allenatori, Generale and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: attività fisica, esercizio, fitness, medici, medicina, personal trainer, tecnologia, trend.

Top ten fitness trends for 2019

Wearable Technology. Wearable technology includes fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices.
Group Training. Group exercise instructors teach, lead, and motivate individuals through intentionally designed, larger, in-person group movement classes (more than five participants, or it would be group personal training).
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). These exercise programs typically involve short bursts of high-intensity bouts of exercise followed by a short period of rest.
Fitness Programs for Older Adults. This is a trend that emphasizes and caters to the fitness needs of the Baby Boom and older generations. These individuals in general have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts, and fitness clubs may capitalize on this growing market.
Bodyweight Training. A combination of variable resistance bodyweight training and neuromotor movements using multiple planes of movement, this program is all about using bodyweight as the training modality.
Employing Certified Fitness Professionals. The importance of hiring certified health/fitness professionals through educational programs and certification programs that are fully accredited for health/fitness professionals is more important than ever.
Yoga. Yoga has taken on a variety of forms within the past year (including Power Yoga, Yogilates, yoga in hot environments, and others).
Personal Training. This trend continues as the profession of personal training becomes more accessible online, in health clubs, in the home, and in worksites that have fitness facilities. Personal training includes fitness testing and goal setting with the trainer working one on one with a client to prescribe workouts specific to each client’s individual needs and goals.
Functional Fitness Training. This is a trend toward using strength training and other activities/movements to improve balance, coordination, strength, and endurance to improve activities of daily living.
Exercise is Medicine. Exercise is Medicine (EIM) is a global health initiative that is focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity assessment and associated treatment recommendations as part of every patient visit, and referring their patients to exercise professionals. In addition, EIM recognizes fitness professionals as part of the health care team in their local communities.

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Lifestyle and dementia

Published on December 29, 2014 in Generale. 0 Comments Tags: age UK, alzheimer, anziani, cuore, demenza, diabete, dieta, esercizio, ipertensione, obesità, stile di vita.

Lifestyle is responsible for up to 76% of changes in the ageing of the brain according to “Age UK and there are 5 steps people can take to maintain brain health and reduce their risk of developing dementia.

The review of academic studies and data reveals that about 76% of cognitive decline – changes in thinking skills with age including memory loss and speed of thinking – is accounted for by lifestyle and other environmental factors including level of education.

The finding from The Disconnected Mind, an Age UK funded research project into how thinking skills alter with age, which was part of the analysis, suggests that there is significant potential to influence these changes.

Furthermore, Age UK’s review, which included the latest international dementia studies, indicates that certain lifestyle factors – regular physical exercise, eating a Mediterranean diet, not smoking and drinking alcohol in moderation – decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and other forms of dementia. In addition, preventing and treating diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity were also found to reduce the risk of dementia.

Exercise ‘most effective’ way to prevent cognitive decline

One large UK study carried out over 30 years found that men aged between 45 and 59 who followed 4-5 of the identified lifestyle factors were found to have a 36% lower risk of developing cognitive decline and a 36% lower risk of developing dementia than those who did not.

Age UK’s evidence review also revealed that physical exercise – aerobic, resistance or balance - was the most effective way to ward off cognitive decline in healthy older people and reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Studies suggest that exercise 3 to 5 times a week for between 30 minutes and an hour is beneficial.

Significantly more cases of Alzheimer’s among smokers

But the evidence review also showed that a healthy diet, moderate alcohol intake and not smoking also play a role in ensuring healthy brain ageing as well as reducing the risk of developing dementia.

It found that there are significantly more new cases of Alzheimer’s among current smokers compared with those who have never smoked.

The review also backed up claims that very heavy drinking is also linked to dementia, resulting in the loss of brain tissue particularly in the parts of the brain responsible for memory and processing and interpreting visual information.

Moderate levels of alcohol, however, were found to protect brain tissue by increasing good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol.

According to the latest estimates, there are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia. It will affect one in three people over the age of 65.

‘There are simple and effective ways to reduce our risk’

Age UK hopes the new evidence will spur people to make changes which will help them reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director of Age UK said ‘While there’s still no cure or way to reverse dementia, this evidence shows that there are simple and effective ways to reduce our risk of developing it to begin with.

‘What’s more, the changes that we need to make to keep our brains healthy are already proven to be good for the heart and overall health, so it’s common sense for us all to try to build them into our lives. The sooner we start, the better our chance of having a healthy later life.”

(From Age UK)

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The many sport aspects

Published on March 5, 2013 in Generale. 0 Comments Tags: auto, esercizio, incidente, lotta, sport.

The warm-up of a Pakistani Kushti wrestler before starting his daily worout. Kushti is a form of wresting Indo-Pakistani dating back thousands of years ago and it is a national sport in Pakistan.