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We were interested in micro-variations in an athlete's psychophysical state that separate peak exertion from physiological collapse. Thus, we measured perceptual acuity in runners using a classic psychophysical approach, the just noticeable difference (JND) on two standard stimuli runs at treadmill speed corresponding to 70%VO 2max and 80%VO 2max . Thirty-four male runners ( M age = 35.26, SD = 7.33 years) first performed a maximal treadmill test to determine the speed of a standard exercise bout for the JND trials. The JND trials consisted of four 5-minute running bouts on a treadmill with 5-minute rests between bouts. For bouts 1 and 3, participants ran at the standard stimuli pace, but for bouts 2 and 4, they adjusted their speeds to achieve a level of exertion at a JND above/below the SS. They achieved differences in the final 30 seconds of the VO 2 between each JND bout and the previous standard stimuli at just above (JND-A) and just below (JND-B) the JND perceived exertions. We used a Generalized Linear Model analysis to compare the JND-A and JND-B within and between ventilatory threshold groups (lower/higher) in absolute and relative VO 2 and in terms of the total JND magnitude. The magnitude of JND-A was greater than that of JND-B at 70%VO 2max and 80%VO 2max in absolute units (70%VO 2 Δ = 2.62; SE = 0.37; p < .001; 80%VO 2 Δ = 1.67; SE = 0.44; p = .002) and in relative units (70%VO 2max Δ = 4.70; SE = 0.66; p < .001; 80%VO 2max Δ = 2.96; SE = 0.80; p = .002). The total magnitude was greater in the 70%VO 2max trial than 80%VO 2max in absolute units (70%VO 2 M = 3.78, SE = 0.31 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ; 80%VO 2 M = 2.62, SE = 0.37 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ; p = .020) and in relative units (70%VO 2max M = 6.57, SE = 0.53%VO 2max ; 80%VO 2max M = 4.71, SE = 0.64%VO 2max ; p = .030). The JND range narrowed when physiologic demand increased, for both physical (speed) and psychological (RPE) variables., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: It is well known that physical exercise improves functional capacity (FC), promoting healthy aging. The Pilates method (PM) is an example of well-accepted physical exercise by the elderly and has been reported in studies to be beneficial for this population. However, it is not yet known whether there is a difference between the practice of mat and apparatus PM. The goal of this study was to compare the effect of mat versus apparatus Pilates training on functional capacity in elderly women., Method: 48 active elderly women (65.15 ± 3.0 years old), independent or partially independent in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), who had never practiced Pilates, were separated into three groups in a random order through a draw: Mat Group (MG = 15), Apparatus Group (AG = 16) and Control Group (CG = 17). Pilates training sessions were applied to MG and AG for 8 weeks, with two weekly sessions of 50 min. The FC of the three groups was evaluated by the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) battery, pre and post intervention., Results: There were improvements in lower and upper limb strength, aerobic endurance, lower and upper limb flexibility, and agility after the intervention in both groups, showing no significant differences when compared to mat and apparatus Pilates training (<0,05)., Conclusion: The mat and apparatus Pilates training provide significant and similar improvements in the functional capacity of elderly women., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflicts of interest declared by the authors., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To verify prevalence of falls and fear of falling, and to compare functional fitness among elderly women fallers and non-fallers., Methods: Seventy-eight elderly women participated in this study. Cases of falls and the fear of falling were self-reported by the elderly women, while the functional fitness was measured by a set of functional tests. Mean and standard deviation were used to describe the sample. Independent t-test was used to compare functional fitness between groups., Results: The prevalence of falls in this sample was 32.4%. Among women fallers, 40% self-reported a high fear of falling., Conclusion: It is recommended that functional and resistance exercises are included in the preventive strategies for reducing risk factors for falls and its determinants in elderly women. Level of Evidence II, Prognostic-Prospective Study.

The aim of this study was to examine physiological, perceptual, and affective responses during self-paced walking for three age groups. 66 adult women were assigned into three groups by age: 20-25 yr. (n=22), 30-35 yr. (n=22), and 40-45 yr. (n=22). Each participant completed a maximal exercise test and a 20-min. bout of walking at a self-selected pace. The preferred walking speed was similar for all age groups, whereas physiological responses relative to maximal and ventilatory threshold values were greater in the 40-45 yr. group than the other two groups. Nevertheless, perceptual and affective responses were similar for all age groups. These findings suggest that physiological responses, but not perceptual and affective responses, of sedentary women are associated with age during walking at a self-selected pace.

Background: The protective effect of cardiorespiratory fitness, regardless of obesity, has been recognized in adults. However, this association is still not clear in elderly individuals., Objective: To analyze the association between hypertension and cardiorespiratory fitness in 1,064 elderly Brazilian women., Methods: Central obesity was estimated by waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness by the 6-minutes walk test. ANOVA one way, chi-square and logistic regression were used for the statistical analysis., Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 53.9%. The central obesity group had higher odds for hypertension when compared with the non-central-obesity group, in the same cardiorespiratory fitness group. Furthermore, both the central obesity and non-central obesity groups had a progressive increase in the odds ratio for hypertension, from the highest to lowest fitness groups, indicating an inverse relation between fitness and central adiposity. The non-central obesity group had the lowest odds ratios (OR), 1.49 (95%IC 0.97-2.28) and 1.54 (95%IC 0.94-2.51); whereas the central obesity group had an OR of 2.08 (95%IC 1.47-2.93), 2.79 (95%IC 1.79-4.33) and 3.09 (95%IC 1.86-5.12)., Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the waist circumference measurement is a strong predictor of hypertension and suggested that the protective effect of cardiorespiratory fitness can be extended to elderly women, even to those with central obesity.

Objective: To investigate how overall and abdominal adiposity, measured by waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and sum of skinfolds (sigmaSK), affect plasma C-reactive protein levels (CRP) in elderly women., Methods: Study sample consisted of 387 women older than 60 years (mean age 68.9; standard deviation 5.9 years). BMI, WC, sigmaSK, and CRP levels were all measured. One-way ANOVA was performed to detect differences in study variables among the CRP levels investigated. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the influence of body fat measurements on CRP levels. The significance level was set at p < 0.05., Results: The analysis of variance showed that mean WC was lower in women with normal CRP levels, as compared to those with high CRP levels. Logistic regression analysis examined the influence of BMI, WC, and sigmaSK quartiles on CRP levels, yielding the following results: only WC was predictive of elevated CRP levels, its highest quartile (cut-off point of 94.0 cm) showing levels nearly two times higher than its lowest quartile (odds ratio = 2.23; 95% confidence interval = 1.92-4.18; p = 0.012)., Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that abdominal adiposity is a strong predictor of elevated CRP levels.

Objective: To verify the association between lipid profiles and overall or central obesity in women over the age of 60., Methods: The sample was comprised of 388 women over the age of 60 (mean 69; standard deviation 5.9 years). The lipid profile was determined using total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels. Overall obesity was determined using the body mass index (BMI) and skin fold (SF) measurements. Central obesity was determined using the waist circumference (WC) and waist--hip ratio (WHR). Statistical analysis was conducted using age adjusted partial correlation and one way ANOVA (p<0.05)., Results: The mean values found for the adiposity variables and lipid profile components indicate an elevated atherogenic risk. In addition, the indicators for overall and central obesity were directly related to TG levels and inversely related to HDL-C levels., Conclusion: The partial correlation analysis and the largest variance found for WC and WHR in comparison to the lipidogram components indicate that both methods could be useful in the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis.