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- Exercise and academic performance : implications of aerobic capacity and hand grip strength in middle-school studentsPublication . Honório, Samuel; Ramos, Luís de Sousa Aguilar; Santos, Jorge; Serrano, João; Petrica, João; Batista, MarcoAbstract: The regular practice of physical exercise has a positive role on mental health and a positive contribution to the development of cognitive function, considered beneficial to academic performance. The present study aimed to analyse the impact of physical exercise on students' academic performance. 227 students participated, of which 112 (49.3%) were male and 115 (50.6%) were female, aged between 10 and 13 years old, from 5th and 6th grades in a Portuguese public school. The Susan Harter Self-Concept Scale validated for the Portuguese population was used, and a descriptive and inferential analysis of the data was conducted to analyse the levels of handgrip strength, aerobic capacity and academic performance. Linear regression analysis was used to interpret the predictive variables and we calculated the magnitude of the effect. The results suggest that the practice of physical exercise enhances the levels of aerobic capacity, handgrip strength and academic performance of students. In addition to physical education classes, the individual sports combined with the team sports present very positive values in relation to the variables described.
- Sistemas de fornecimento e gastos de energia no exercício físico : uma revisãoPublication . Honório, Samuel; Santos, Jorge; Serrano, João; Petrica, João; Rebelo, Miguel; Vieira, Fernando; Batista, MarcoMuitas atividades desportivas, recreativas e ocupacionais requerem uma libertação de energia moderada a intensa e contínua. O fracionamento aeróbio de carboidratos, gorduras e proteínas fornece energia para o exercício devido à fosforilação do difosfato de adenosina (ADP) em trifosfato de adenosina (ATP). Um desequilíbrio energético anaeróbio-aeróbico se instala na ausência de um ritmo estável (steady rate) entre a fosforilação oxidativa do ADP em ATP e a energia necessária para o exercício. Quando há um desequilíbrio, a acidez dos tecidos aumenta e eventualmente manifesta-se um estado de fadiga. Dois fatores influenciam a forma como os indivíduos são capazes de manter um elevado nível de atividade física com o mínimo de fadiga: a capacidade e integração dos sistemas fisiológicos para fornecer oxigénio e a capacidade de fibras musculares específicas ativadas durante o exercício para gerar ATP aeróbica.
- Physical Exercise related to student’s academic performancePublication . Honório, Samuel; Batista, Marco; Santos, Jorge; Vandoni, MatteoAcademic performance is a topic of extreme relevance given the fact that it influences many other areas of children's and adolescents' lives. Academic performance is defined as a concrete assessment of the knowledge obtained by students. In practice, it refers to the results of assessment evaluations that teachers apply in the school context. The evaluation is then a classification that is attributed to the works and tests carried out for the school context and that informs students, parents, teachers and the community in general of the learning acquired by the student. The purpose of evaluation is to certify, assess and verify the degree of achievement of these objectives. It can also be added that the objective of this evaluation is to summarize the performance of the students, in a group of strategies and learning objectives and that it was designed so that it is possible to make decisions about the results of those evaluated. Academic performance is then the externally evaluated result achieved by the student. Several variables have been associated with school results, that is, academic performance, self-esteem, self-concept, parents' education as well as their involvement in the children's lives, and the sociocultural context in which the child or adolescent is inserted. In this sense, physical exercise has been reported to increase academic performance, assertiveness, confidence, emotional stability, intellectual functioning, memory, perception, positive body image, self-control, well-being and efficiency at work. Physical exercise can help children to achieve higher academic performance levels and postulate that while high-intensity, short-term exercise promotes mental and intellectual functioning, long-term strenuous exercise can inhibit the subject's performance, unless he possesses high physical aptitudes. The practice of physical exercise in schools promotes an increase in muscle tension, which is a facilitating element in the performance of various psychological tasks. In their study, subjects submitted to physical exercise show faster acquisition and evolution of meaningless syllables and a greater ability in terms of learning/memorizing associated pairs, greater accuracy in solving simple mathematical problems and greater efficiency in a test perceptive color naming than subjects who perform the same tasks under normal conditions. Some studies suggest, however, that exercise can help students improve their academic performance through a variety of approaches and strategies, considering that when someone feels good physically, they are able to function at a higher level academically.
- Pilates and aatisfaction with life in elderlyPublication . Honório, Samuel; Batista, Marco; Petrica, João; Santos, Jorge; Serrano, João; Martins, JúlioIntroduction: The Pilates exercise can be an improvement in the quality of life of its practitioners, through an optimized condition of improvements in posture, developing greater mobility, balance, agility and functionality. The satisfaction with life is part of a cognitive dimension in this quality of life and it is present in most measures of well-being. Problem Statement and Approach: The main purpose of this study is to analyse and relate the effects of a supervised program of Pilates classes in a group of elderly, comparing the results of balance through the Berg scale and their ability by the Leighton scale, and relate these improvements with the satisfaction with life of these elderly in this activity. Material and Methods:The evaluation assessments of the elderly were carried out in the proper room, using a goniometer and the Berg scale for articular measurements, the Leighton scale for the balance domain and the life satisfaction scale. The study had 72 participants, 52 women and 20 men aged between 60 and 83 years (M=66.70±SD=6.84). Participants had 30-minute Pilates sessions each twice a week for a 12-month period, after which the life satisfaction questionnaire was applied. Results: Better results were achieved in balance and articular ampleness parameters in these participants, with some significant improvements and magnitudes of effect size with quite satisfactory results after the second evaluation. The values obtained for life satisfaction were considered quite satisfactory in women with a final average of 5.24, and in men with an average value of 4.9 on a scale between 1 and 7. Discussion: Other studies have showed that welfare levels tend to be higher in the male gender, making them have higher life satisfaction averages than women, not reported in our study, however with a value considered satisfactory. Conclusions: The Pilates programme implemented showed very favourable values, with gains in all the assessments analysed, where this elderly group showed a very good life satisfaction allied to the improvements found in functional ability.
- Benefits of physical activity in neurotrophic factorsPublication . Batista, Marco; Honório, Samuel; Serrano, João; Petrica, João; Santos, JorgeThis work is a review with a main objective: to develop knowledge about physical activity in neurotrophic factors. We have outlined three objectives within the affective, psychomotor and cognitive domains. These are respectively: the value of the practice of physical activity (PA) and to explain the relationship between the practice of PA and neurotrophic fac- tors. For the accomplishment of this work, informative documents were searched through Google Scholar, Online Library of Knowledge (B-ON), PubMed and Scopus DataBase. The study addresses the concept of PA, the benefits and factors associated with adherence, persistence and abandonment of regular physical activity and in a second phase the concept of neurotrophic factors and the relationship that exists between the practice of PA and neurotrophic factors. Physical exercise increases the expression of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A connection has been established between physical exercise, the levels of this neurotrophin and its beneficial effects on the brains of animals and humans. It has recently been shown that exercises sessions are capable of increasing serum and plasma BDNF con- centration in addition to an increase in BDNF expression in skeletal muscle. In this review will be approached the effect of physical exercise on the expression of BDNF in the brain. Recent studies have shown that there is a potential benefit in increasing BDNF expression and release by brain and some peripheral tissues, induced by exercise, resulting in an improvement in brain function.
- Functional fitness and nutritional status of institutionalized elderlyPublication . Honório, Samuel; Batista, Marco; Paulo, Rui; Duarte-Mendes, Pedro; Serrano, João; Petrica, João; Faustino, António; Santos, Jorge; Martins, JúlioBACKGROUND: Measuring the functional fitness is essential to provide a working basis for assessing and prescribing exercises. There is a special interest in developing procedures and tests able to provide reliable information and general vocabulary for researchers and practitioners. We intend with this study to analyze the functional fitness of different groups of institutionalized elderly of both genders, relating it with their nutritional status. METHODS: A sample of 46 participants, 31 males and 15 females aged between 65 to 93. For this investigation, the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used in order to categorize the nutritional status with a Mediterranean diet that was used. For the assessment of the functional fitness, it the battery Fullerton Functional Fitness Test (FFFT) developed in 1999 by Rikli and Jones was used. RESULTS: We found that the elderly who maintained a diet divided into seven meals had more favorable values in all categories of the battery tests with significant differences. We also found that the nutritional status of the elderly and the number of meals is statistically significant in tasks measuring strength, agility and aerobic capacity. CONCLUSIONS: The elderly with normal nutritional status have better performance in the battery tasks, particularly those who choose the diet divided into seven daily meals. The Mediterranean Diet used seems to be favorable in this population, in both genders and it promotes the maintenance of their physical abilities.