This study was conducted to investigate the changes in the autonomic nervous system in middle-aged women induced by aerobic and resistance exercise. A randomized controlled design was adopted; 22 premenopausal middle-aged women were divided into the resistance training and aerobic exercise groups (n = 11 each). Each group followed a specific 60 min exercise program three times a week for 12 weeks. The participants’ heart rate variability (HRV) was measured to analyze the low(LF)- and high-frequency (HF) activity, and the LF/HF ratio was calculated to examine the autonomic nervous system’s activities. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise. LF activity significantly increased in both the resistance training (p < 0.001) and aerobic exercise (p < 0.5) groups, indicating a significant variation according to time effect. HF activity was significantly increased only in resistance training (p < 0.001) with a significant variation in time (p < 0.001) and an interaction effect (p < 0.01). The LF/HF ratio did not vary significantly in either group. The findings in this study suggest that both aerobic exercise and resistance training were effective for sympathetic nerve activities in middle-aged women and that the effects on the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities were greater for resistance training.

Childhood obesity can lead to adulthood obesity with adverse effects. Since body composition and physical fitness differ depending on the obesity degree, a systemic analysis could help classify that degree. We used three study designs based on the obesity degree (body mass index [BMI] as a reference) for our objectives. First, we identified the relationship between body composition and physical fitness. Second, we determined the effects of exercise on body composition and physical fitness. Third, we performed a path analysis of the impact of exercise on body composition and physical fitness, and verified those effects among the groups. In study 1, 164 10-year-old subjects were divided into four groups: 33 in the normal weight (NO), 34 in overweight (OV), 54 in obesity (OB), and 43 in the severe obesity (SOB) group. In study 2, 101 participants from study 1 who wished to participate in the exercise program were divided into four groups (same criteria). The exercise program (three times a week for 60 min, for 16 weeks) consisted of sports and reinforcement exercises of increasing intensity. Body composition was measured by body weight, percentage of body fat (%BF), muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and body mass index (BMI). In contrast, physical fitness was measured by muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, agility, and balance. As a result, all body composition variables were higher in the SOB group than in the other groups. Physical fitness, muscular strength and balance, and agility were highest in the SOB, NO, and OV groups, respectively. Pearson’s correlation revealed that muscular strength was associated with height and body weight across all groups. Agility showed a negative correlation with %BF in the NO, OB, and SOB groups. SMM was positively correlated in the OB and SOB groups. After the exercise intervention, BMI and the %BF of the SOB group were significantly reduced (p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively), while SMM presented a significant increase (p < 0.001). Height also showed a significant increase in all groups (p < 0.001). Among physical fitness variables, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and balance showed a significant increase in all groups, while a significant increase in power was observed in only the OB and SOB groups. As for the effects of the body composition on physical fitness after exercise intervention, the greatest impact was observed for balance, muscular strength and agility, and muscular endurance in NO, OV, and OB groups, respectively. In conclusion, the body composition, physical fitness relationship, and the effects of exercise intervention on them differed depending on the obesity degree. Furthermore, the results varied according to the obesity degree. Thus, our study highlights the importance of creating particular exercise programs for the effective prevention and treatment of childhood obesity considering the obesity degree.

Middle-aged women have an increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and reduced physical strength, which can lead to decreased vascular function and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, these problems can be treated or prevented with healthy nutrition and regular exercise. We focused on these benefits as recent studies have reported the potential synergistic effects of suspension training and nutrition. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of 12 weeks of adlay intake and suspension training on improvements in body composition, physical fitness, blood lipids, and arterial stiffness in middle-aged women. Neither the adlay + suspension exercise (ASEG) nor suspension exercise groups (SEG) showed significant changes in body composition. Nonetheless, with respect to physical fitness, there was a difference in time among all variables except flexibility, though the ASEG showed a more significant effect than the SEG. Regarding blood lipids, significant interaction effects were found for triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while only the ASEG significantly improved these parameters. Furthermore, pulse wave velocity was only significantly decreased in the ASEG. In summary, performing suspension exercises for 12 weeks improved physical strength in middle-aged women. Additionally, when adlay was consumed simultaneously, blood lipids and arterial stiffness were improved.

Objectives: Frozen shoulder (FS) leads to pain, reduced shoulder function, and deficits in postural stability and sensorimotor control during upper-limb weight-bearing and activities of daily living tasks. This study investigated how an eight-week Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) program affected Center of Pressure (COP) control and pain in midlife women with FS. Methods: Twenty-two midlife women with FS were randomly assigned to a DNS group (DNSG, n = 11) or a control group (CG, n = 11). The DNSG performed DNS exercises twice weekly for eight weeks, while the CG performed a dynamic stretching–based active control program. COP variables (distance, velocity, and root mean square (RMS) in the anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions) were measured using a force platform under affected-side single-hand support with visual input and bilateral hand support with and without visual input. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). All variables were analyzed using a two-way mixed ANOVA. Results: Under the affected-side single-hand support condition, a significant group × time interaction was observed for the prespecified primary outcome, ML-RMS (p < 0.05). Other COP variables under this condition were not significant after Holm–Bonferroni correction. Under bilateral hand-support conditions, ML-RMS remained significant after multiplicity adjustment in both visual conditions (p < 0.05). Pain (VAS) decreased over time in both groups, with no significant group × time interaction observed. Conclusions: The DNS intervention was associated with positive changes in COP-based postural control during upper-limb weight-bearing tasks in midlife women with FS. Pain decreased over time in both groups, with no significant group-by-time interaction. These findings suggest that DNS may be a potentially useful intervention for improving postural stability during upper-limb support tasks in patients with FS.

Background: Achilles tendon viscoelasticity and ankle neuromuscular co-contraction are functionally linked, yet how they jointly adapt during brief high-speed repetitive loading remains unclear. We simultaneously quantified Achilles tendon viscoelasticity (MyotonPRO) and ankle agonist–antagonist co-contraction (surface electromyography, sEMG) under two stance conditions and three repetition counts. Methods: Twenty-seven active male collegiate American football players (23.19 ± 2.63 years) performed rapid heel-raise/landing cycles in a bilateral ground stance (BGS) and a unilateral box stance (UBS) at 1, 5, and 10 repetitions. Tendon decrement (D), stiffness (S), and tone (F), the co-activation index (CoAct), and the co-contraction index (CCI) were analyzed using two-way (2 × 3) repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: D decreased significantly as repetitions increased (pooled across stance conditions: 1 rep 0.973 → 10 reps 0.937; F (2, 52) = 4.68, p = 0.014, ηp² = 0.153), indicating improved elastic-recovery efficiency, whereas S and F remained stable. CoAct was maintained constantly at ≈72% regardless of stance or repetition (all p > 0.05), and the medial gastrocnemius was consistently activated first (agonist-led feedforward priming). Tissue-level elastic adaptation thus occurred without a concurrent change in neuromuscular co-contraction—a tissue–neural dissociation confirmed in both change scores and correlation structure. Conclusions: Acute enhancement of Achilles tendon elasticity during high-speed repetition appears to be a peripheral, tissue-level mechanical phenomenon expressed independently of neuromuscular co-contraction. Combined myotonometric–sEMG assessment reveals functional information not captured by imaging alone.

In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effects of a core-lower limb coordinated Pilates exercise on gait and postural balance in women with bilateral flexible pes planus. Twenty-two women aged 34.64 ± 9.59 years with bilateral navicular drop ≥10 mm assessed by the navicular drop test (NDT) were randomly assigned to either a Pilates training group or a control group. Gait parameters - including foot off, step time, stride time, walking speed, and cadence - were assessed using a validated three-dimensional motion analysis system. Postural balance was quantified as center of pressure (COP) sway in both anterior - posterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions, including range, velocity, and root mean square (RMS), using a force plate. Gait and balance were evaluated at baseline and after the 8-week intervention. Significant improvements were observed in step-time (p = .014), stride-time (p = .045), and cadence (p = .033), as well as postural balance variables, particularly in ML-RMS (p = .003), for the Pilates group compared to the control group. These results suggest that Pilates exercise may benefit gait and postural balance in individuals with flexible pes planus.