Using Lord Of The Rings to Revolutionize Coaching? How Artificial Intelligence can Assess Athlete Performance and Injury Risk.

Observing how an athlete moves is a common way to assess their performance potential or risk for injury. These assessments use visual observations, which can lead to different conclusions based on the coach/doctor who conducts the assessment or the day/time of the observations. In this study, the investigators assessed 542 athletes, ranging in skill from beginner (youth or recreational) to professional (NFL, NBA, FIFA, MLB players). Each athlete completed seven movements while being filmed by motion capture cameras. These cameras are like those used to bring life-like movements to Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies and to players in sports video games. By combining the athletes’ camera data with computer-based artificial intelligence, the investigators were able to classify athletes as elite or novice based on how they moved. For a more detailed outcome beyond this basic classification, the athletes also were scored on a scale from 0% (moves like a novice) to 100% (moves like a professional). This method is a breakthrough in movement assessment that reduces the need to rely on human observers. This method will improve consistency of classifying athletes in movement evaluations by coaches/doctors. In addition, it may be used for sports training and rehabilitation purposes. The investigators’ next step is to use this method to identify those athletes who are more likely to sustain an injury.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.

 

Physical Activity for Combating Chronic Inflammation in Older Adults

Chronic inflammation is a condition contributing to development of several diseases and functional decline during aging. While regular physical activity is an important factor for healthy aging, little is known about whether it may favorably influence chronic inflammation in the elderly. These investigators studied the impact on inflammation in older women after replacing half an hour of time they spent in sedentary behavior with equal amounts of time in physical activity of different intensities.

The study shows that replacing half an hour of sedentary behavior with physical activity was related to reduced levels of inflammation. Engagement in daily physical activity of at least moderate intensity had a beneficial impact regardless of the subjects’ daily sedentary time. This supports the existence of different intensity thresholds by which physical activity may influence on chronic inflammation. These study findings were confirmed in older women among individuals with varying health status. The results support public health efforts to increase physical activity to promote health in older adults.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.

 

Being Physically Active Improves Symptoms and Reduces Comorbidities in Obese Asthmatics

Emma has asthma symptoms all the time despite taking her medication. She has had asthma since childhood and the symptoms increased after she gained weight. Now, she is obese, sedentary, not sleeping well and is feeling frustrated because her quality of life has worsened. This is a common picture for obese subjects with asthma. According to the latest guidelines, individuals like Emma should lose weight and have her asthma treated medically. However, nobody knows the most effective way for obese individuals with asthma to lose weight. Few studies have been carried out to evaluate alternative solutions for improving health status of obese adults with asthma, such as Emma.

In this study, the investigators evaluated how exercise can be an effective program for obese subjects with asthma. Fifty-five obese adults with asthma (mostly women) were randomly assigned either to a weight loss program with exercise (three months, two sessions per week) or to a weight loss program with nutrition/psychological support that included breathing/stretching activities. The results showed that the 60-minute per session exercise program, including aerobic and resistance exercise, was effective for losing weight, reducing asthma symptoms, and reducing risk markers for sleeping disorders. Interestingly, the study showed that the more patients improved exercise capacity, the more they tended to lose weight, the better they slept and the less they reported symptoms of depression. Obese people with asthma who engage in regular physical activity may experience multiple health benefits, including reductions in asthma symptoms, weight reduction and improved sleep efficiency.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.

 

No Pleasure, No Gain: Who Said You Had to Suffer to be Fit?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed during a strength training session? Would you like to feel pleasure during exercise? What if we tell you that exercise may be pleasant and still be effective? A group of investigators studied these questions by assessing the load used in strength exercises by a group of sixteen sedentary men who were instructed to exercise based on their perception of pleasure. The investigators found, that when participants exercised to feel “good” or “fairly good,” the load they selected was quantitatively like the intensity recommended by organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine. From a practical perspective, the findings from this study mean that, even if you exercise to feel “good” or feel “fairly good,” you will be still exercising with an adequate load to improve health and fitness with “pleasure and gain,” as opposed to “no pain, no gain.” This is especially important for people who refrain from exercising due to anticipating displeasure with the experience.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.

  

Exercise Therapy Improves Quality of Life of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Obesity, low aerobic fitness and poor quality of life are frequent in women with PCOS. In this study, researchers investigated if women with PCOS could improve their quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases after an aerobic exercise program. A total of fourteen overweight and obese women with PCOS exercised in small groups three times per week for 40 minutes, over 16 weeks; a group of thirteen women with similar characteristics served as control subjects.  Following this training program, the researchers observed improvements in physical and mental aspects of quality of life and aerobic fitness. They also showed reduced risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in the exercise group. Moreover, the participants reported the exercise training sessions as pleasant. Therefore, this study showed the therapeutic importance of exercise to improve quality of life of women with PCOS.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.

 

Exercise Training in Black and White Women at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. Black women are more likely to develop heart disease, die of a heart attack and experience fatal cardiac events at younger ages than whites. Preventive lifestyle modifications such as quitting smoking, engaging in regular physical activity, and adopting a heart-healthy diet are strongly recommended. While exercise programs can decrease the risk of CVD, few comparative data are available in black and white women. This unique study conducted over a 7-year period, included 413 women (222 white, 191 black women, with ages averaging 61 years) who had one or more risk factors for CVD. None had previously taken part in an exercise program. All underwent a six-month exercise training program, at least three days per week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session. Heart rate and effort ratings of the women were used to keep the intensity of exercise at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity. Although one in five women experienced a musculoskeletal injury or discomfort during the exercise program, there were no cardiovascular complications. Women in both groups who closely followed the program demonstrated significant decreases in body weight, waist circumference, resting blood pressure, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and reductions in heart rate and blood pressure at a fixed exercise workload. Dietary habits, depression scores and sleep quality also improved. These improvements were achieved at exercise levels below those recommended by contemporary physical activity guidelines. Our findings support the view that the primary beneficiaries of an exercise program are those who are the least fit and physically least active.

For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.