Yukari Mori

Self-monitoring moderate-vigorous physical activity versus steps/day is more effective in chronic disease exercise programs.

PURPOSE The effects of self-monitoring number of steps/day versus minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA/day) were compared to determine which is more effective for increasing physical activity levels. METHODS A total of 18 participants of a university-based chronic disease prevention program (age 61 ± 12 years) were enrolled in the 3-week intervention. Subjects were randomly assigned to a group (n = 8) that wore a New Lifestyles accelerometer (NL-1000) and were instructed to increase minutes of MVPA to 30 min/d or more (MIN) or to a group (n = 10) that wore a New Lifestyles pedometer (NL-800) and were instructed to increase the number of steps/day to 10,000 or more (STE). To objectively assess changes in physical activity levels, subjects in both groups simultaneously wore a Lifecorder-EX accelerometer (with display blank) during the intervention. RESULTS The number of steps increased significantly in the MIN (10,810 ±3,211 to 13,355 ± 3,498 steps/day) and STE (11,517 ± 3,383 to 12,809 ±2,479 steps/day) from the first to fourth weeks, respectively. However, the time spent in MVPA increased significantly only in MIN group (36 ± 11 to 52 ± 15 min/d) but not in the STE group (32 ± 7 to 37 ± 11 min/d) from the first to fourth weeks, respectively. CONCLUSION Data suggest that individuals with chronic disease conditions can more effectively increase levels of physical activity, expressed as both MVPA/day and steps/day, by self-monitoring MIN rather than STE. The effect of self-monitoring physical activity levels for longer periods and/or the effect of increasing minutes of MVPA/day versus steps/day on specific health outcomes have not yet been examined.

Effects of bench step exercise on arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women: Contribution of IGF-1 bioactivity and nitric oxide production

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of bench step exercise on arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the associated contribution of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 bioactivity and nitric oxide (NO). DESIGN Twenty-six elderly (post-menopausal) women were randomly allocated to a bench step exercise group or a control group. The participants in the bench step exercise group practiced a 12-week home-based bench step exercise for 10-20min, 3 times daily (i.e., for a total of 140min/week at the intensity level of lactate threshold (LT)). In addition to conventional risk factors of atherosclerosis, PWV, IGF-1/IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 molar ratio (an index for IGF-1 bioactivity), and urinary nitrite/nitrate (NO(x)) excretion were measured before and after the intervention. RESULTS BMI, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LT, and PWV were significantly improved in the bench step exercise group. A significant positive correlation between changes in PWV and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 molar ratio, and a significant negative correlation between changes in IGF-1/IGFBP-3 molar ratio and urinary NO(x) excretion were found in the bench step exercise group. CONCLUSION The bench step exercise leads to improvements in not only the classical risk factors of atherosclerosis but also the arterial stiffness in elderly women, partly through NO production via IGF-1 bioactivity.

Long-term effects of home-based bench-stepping exercise training on healthcare expenditure for elderly Japanese.

Background We examined the long-term effects of home-based bench-stepping exercise training on total healthcare expenditure (TOHEX) and number of outpatient visits (NOVIS) in elderly adults. Methods A total of 189 elderly Japanese (age 73 ± 4 years) participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to either an exercise or control group. TOHEX, NOVIS, and outpatient expenditure (OPEX) were evaluated every 6 months from 1 year before the start to the end of the intervention period, as well as 1 year after the end of the intervention. The exercise group was encouraged to perform home-based bench-stepping exercise training on most, and preferably all, days of the week for 18 months. Results The exercise group showed significant increases in lactate threshold as compared with pre-intervention values. There were no significant differences in TOHEX, OPEX, or NOVIS between the exercise and control groups 1 year before the start of the intervention, and the values remained similar during the first 12 months of the intervention period. However, at 18 months, TOHEX, NOVIS, and OPEX were significantly lower in the exercise group than in the control group (TOHEX: 170 007 ± 192 072 vs. 294 705 ± 432 314 yen, P = 0.008; NOVIS: 19.2 ± 26.3 vs. 28.2 ± 32.1 days, P = 0.012; OPEX: 132 973 ± 132 016 vs. 187 799 ± 158 167 yen, P = 0.005). Conclusions The data indicate that a long-term home-based bench-stepping exercise program can reduce healthcare expenditure in elderly Japanese.