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Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health
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Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11979

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Roberto Codella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, School of Exercise and Sports Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20090 Milano, Italy
Interests: metabolism; exercises; diabetes; diet; biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exercise is the most transformative thing that can be done for the brain. A single workout is capable of immediately increasing levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline. As a result, being physically active must be more than a motto, since it does not only fulfill the WHO definition of health & well-being, but it also offers protection and cure against a variety of modern-day chronic diseases. If science granted longevity for the humankind, the due toll may be represented by the quality of life. Exercise emerges as the most convenient and potent forefront to abate the burden associated with the modern detrimental lifestyle.

The present Special Issue aims at exploring the extraordinarily beneficial actions enabled by exercise, including novel explanations that are gaining momentum in the current literature. Focus will be on how physical exercise might exert a number of benefits for physical and mental health. Topics dealing with energy metabolism, immunodulation, psychological determinants, or neuromodulation, are welcome.  Manuscript types accepted embrace original articles, systematic reviews, methodological papers, brief reports, and commentaries.

Dr. Roberto Codella
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inflammation
  • metabolism
  • exercise is medicine
  • physical activity
  • immunology
  • neuroprotection
  • well-being

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 301 KiB  
Editorial
Physical Inactivity and Depression: The Gloomy Dual with Rising Costs in a Large-Scale Emergency
by Roberto Codella and Andrea Chirico
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1603; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021603 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2492
Abstract
At the end of October of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released “the Global status report on physical activity 2022” [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

11 pages, 691 KiB  
Article
Aerobic and Postural Strength Exercise Benefits in People with Schizophrenia
by Michele Fonseca Szortyka, Viviane Batista Cristiano and Paulo Belmonte-de-Abreu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043421 - 15 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2485
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two different types of physical intervention on sedentary behavior and clinical changes in people with schizophrenia. Method: This is a clinical trial including people with schizophrenia in regular outpatient care who realized a 3-month [...] Read more.
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two different types of physical intervention on sedentary behavior and clinical changes in people with schizophrenia. Method: This is a clinical trial including people with schizophrenia in regular outpatient care who realized a 3-month exercise protocol and were separated into two groups: aerobic physical intervention (API) and postural physical intervention (PPI). All participants performed an assessment of (a) functional capacity through a 6 min walk test (6MWT), (b) flexibility using Well’s bench, (c) disease severity using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), (d) quality of life using the SF-36 Questionnaire and (e) physical activity using the Simple Physical Activity Questionnaire (SIMPAQ). Results: Thirty-eight patients with schizophrenia completed the intervention (24 patients in API and 14 patients in PPI). Regarding sedentary behavior, there was an improvement in the API group in the time exercising and in the PPI group concerning time in bed, time walking and exercising. Regarding quality of life, there was an improvement in the API group (functional capacity) and in the PPI group, there was an improvement in physical limitation, pain and emotional limitations. In the API group, there was an improvement in BMI (body mass index), diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure. Functional capacity was improved only in the PPI group. There was no change in flexibility and disease severity. Conclusions: The study demonstrated a change response in the physical and mental aspects in people with schizophrenia after a change in sedentary behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health)
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14 pages, 372 KiB  
Article
Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training and Continuous Aerobic Training on Health-Fitness, Health Related Quality of Life, and Psychological Measures in College-Aged Smokers
by Nduduzo Msizi Shandu, Musa Lewis Mathunjwa, Brandon Stuwart Shaw and Ina Shaw
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010653 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3249
Abstract
The study examined the effects of exercise on health-fitness, health related quality of life (HRQOL), and psychological measures in college-aged smokers. Outcomes included HRQOL, hemodynamic, anthropometric, lung function, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Sixty physically inactive college-aged male smokers (18–30 years) were randomly assigned into [...] Read more.
The study examined the effects of exercise on health-fitness, health related quality of life (HRQOL), and psychological measures in college-aged smokers. Outcomes included HRQOL, hemodynamic, anthropometric, lung function, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Sixty physically inactive college-aged male smokers (18–30 years) were randomly assigned into three groups: high-intensity interval training (HIIT), continuous aerobic training (CAT), and a control (CON). Both HIIT and CAT groups completed 8 weeks of non-consecutive cycling sessions thrice weekly. The CON group were not subjected to the exercise intervention. Sixty participants met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 48 (HIIT: n = 18, CAT: n = 16, CON: n = 14) participants completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Compared to CON, HIIT significantly (p = 0.01) improved forced expiratory flow (FEF_75%) more than the CAT group (p = 0.29). HIIT provided a significant (p = 0.04) improvement in FEF_75% compared to CAT. Recovery heart rate (RHR) was significantly improved in participants assigned to HIIT (p = 0.00) and CAT (p = 0.002) groups compared with the CON. A significant difference in RHR was found in HIIT compared to CAT. The study findings indicate that both HIIT and CAT exercise interventions significantly improve markers of lung function and cardiorespiratory endurance, respectively. However, findings suggested that HIIT should be the preferred form of exercise regime among college-aged smokers for more significant, healthier benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health)
11 pages, 881 KiB  
Article
Effects of Multi-Component Exercise on Sleep Quality in Middle-Aged Adults
by Jing-Yi Ai, Garry Kuan, Linda Ya-Ting Juang, Ching-Hsiu Lee, Yee-Cheng Kueh, I-Hua Chu, Xiao-Ling Geng and Yu-Kai Chang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15472; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315472 - 22 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3122
Abstract
Sleep is a crucial factor in healthy aging. However, most middle-aged adults experience high levels of sleep disorders. While previous findings have suggested exercise training could benefit the quality of sleep, the effects of multi-component exercise on sleep quality are less examined. Accordingly, [...] Read more.
Sleep is a crucial factor in healthy aging. However, most middle-aged adults experience high levels of sleep disorders. While previous findings have suggested exercise training could benefit the quality of sleep, the effects of multi-component exercise on sleep quality are less examined. Accordingly, the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component exercise program on the quality of sleep among middle-aged adults. Twenty-four middle-aged adults were randomly assigned either to a multi-component exercise (MCE) group or a control group. The participants in the MCE group attended a 90-min session per week for 12 weeks. The control group was instructed to maintain their daily routine for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the sleep quality evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcome was physical fitness, including muscular strength and endurance, balance, and flexibility. Regarding sleep quality, the global mean score (p = 028), sleep disturbances (p = 011), and sleep efficiency (p = 035) of the PSQI scores were significantly reduced in the MCE group after the 12-week intervention. Regarding physical fitness, the flexibility of the MCE group improved significantly after the intervention (p = 028), yet, no significant change was observed in the control group. Additionally, the muscular strength of the control group declined significantly after the 12-week period (p = 034). Our results revealed the effectiveness of the MCE intervention in improving sleep quality and physical fitness in middle-aged adults. Further studies using larger sample sizes, objective measures of sleep quality, different types of exercise training, as well as different populations, are warranted to extend our current findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Exercise on Mental and Physical Health)
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