The latest World Health Organization report on green and blue space and mental health (2021) calls for greater, and better, urban nature environments, i. e., “wilder” urban parks, tree-laden sidewalks, and overall presence of nature in the urban environment. Evidence shows that living close to and interacting with nature promotes benefits to numerous health and well-being indicators. The present article narratively reviews what are the aspects of urban nature environments that enhance health and wellbeing markers, which aspects are preferred among users and visitors of urban nature environments, and how can the benefits for health and wellbeing be understood from a theoretical perspective. Finally, guided by the ecological dynamics framework, suggestions are put forward on how designers and planners of urban nature environments can consider affordances to promote physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing; and how exercise and health researchers and professionals may channel the interaction of individuals with the nature environment in their interventions and programs.

Comparisons of the beneficial effects of nature-based versus indoor physical activity have been extensively reported, but existing research addresses mainly aerobic activity (running, jogging), not resistance or mixed (aerobic and resistance) exercise. It is unclear if the psychological benefits extend to functionality, i.e., if participants perform their activities better in nature, and how movement is expressed in nature-based and indoor environments, during similar exercise. The present registered report was a randomized controlled trial investigating how engaging in similar resistance-based exercise (calisthenics) in nature-based and indoor settings differed in affective valence, perceived exertion, visual attention, movement adaptability, heart rate variability, and performance. Nature-based exercisers (N = 51) showed increased performance output than indoor exercisers (N = 53) (p < 0.001). There were no group differences in affective valence, perceived exertion, or visual attention. However, psychological states of nature-based exercisers showed stronger associations to performance output (r < 0.33) than those of indoor exercisers (r < 0.03). Nature-based exercisers' movement variability and structure, measured with non-linear and fractal techniques (Sample Entropy and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis), were more regular (p < 0.001) and more functionally adaptive (long-term Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, p = 0.022) to achieve better performance output. Heart rate variability measures were not different between groups. Distinct environments can influence movement adaptability in a calisthenics exercise routine, and ultimately contribute to better performance. These results show how action is specific to task environment, and how action implies not only the task, but also the characteristics of the environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05090501 (Clinicaltrials.gov). Registered October 21, 2021.

La Feeling Scale y la Felt Arousal Scale son escalas ampliamente utilizadas en la investigación del deporte. En este estudio, las escalas originales fueron traducidas del inglés al portugués. Posteriormente, se comprobó si las puntuaciones de afecto y activación en el Self-Assessment Manikin, una escala basada en imágenes, predecían las puntuaciones en la Feeling Scale y en la Felt Arousal Scale en 47 deportistas recreativos portugueses, antes y después de una sesión de ejercicio. El Self-Assessment Manikin mostró correlaciones de moderadas a fuertes con la Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 y r = 0.56, p < 0.01) y la Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 y r = 0.72, p < 0.01), y un poder predictivo sustancial sobre la Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% y R2 = 31%) y la Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% y R2 = 52%). En base a este estudio, la Feeling Scale y la Felt Arousal Scale demostraron ser instrumentos válidos para medir el afecto y la excitación en los ejercitantes recreativos portugueses. Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale are widely used in sport research. They provide a practical assessment of self-reported affect and arousal during exercise. The original scales were translated from English to Portuguese. Afterward, it was tested if the affect and arousal scores in the picture-based Self-Assessment Manikin predicted the scores in the Feeling Scale and the Felt Arousal Scale in 47 Portuguese recreational exercisers, before and after an exercise session. Self-Assessment Manikin showed moderate-to-strong correlations with the Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 and r = 0.56, p < 0.01) and the Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 and r = 0.72, p < 0.01), and substantial predictive power over the Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% and R2 = 31%) and the Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% and R2 = 52%). The Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale are valid instruments to measure affect and arousal in Portuguese exercisers. A Feeling Scale e a Felt Arousal Scale são amplamente utilizadas na investigação em desporto. Fornecem uma avaliação prática dos estados psicológicos de afeto e da ativação durante o exercício. Neste estudo, as escalas originais foram traduzidas do inglês para português. Posteriormente, testou-se se a pontuação do afeto e da ativação na Self-Assessment Manikin, uma escala baseada em imagens, previa a pontuação na Feeling Scale e na Felt Arousal Scale em 47 desportistas recreativos portugueses, antes e depois de uma sessão de exercício. A Self-Assessment Manikin mostrou correlações moderadas a fortes com a Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 e r = 0.56, p < 0.01) e com a Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 e r = 0.72, p < 0,01), e um poder preditivo substancial sobre a Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% e R2 = 31%) e a Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% e R2 = 52%). A Feeling Scale e a Felt Arousal Scale são instrumentos válidos para medir o afeto e a ativação em desportistas recreativos portugueses.

This article clarifies the distinctive role of eco-physical variables in analyzing and modeling the dynamics of goal-directed behavior in sports. While behavior in sport is inherently purposeful and context-dependent, most current performance metrics neglect how athletes direct their actions toward task-relevant environmental properties. Although traditional indicators and continuous variables (e.g., collective, compound, and order parameters) have been widely used to quantify performance, they often conflate different constructs and remain neutral to situated intentionality. A conceptual clarification is necessary, as these metrics are frequently used interchangeably in the literature, leading to confusion among researchers and practitioners. Rooted in the theoretical approach of ecological dynamics, the concept of eco-physical variables seeks to address these issues by capturing how performers intentionally perceive and act in their environment to achieve task goals. These variables reflect how athletes act toward task goals, shaped by the socio-material properties of their performance environment. To our knowledge, this is the first article to focus exclusively on eco-physical variables, define them as a distinct class of metrics in sport, and outline their theoretical, methodological, and practical implications. It resolves conceptual ambiguity around similar terms and offers theory-informed guidance for developing variables that preserve dynamics and context. Specifically, this article: (a) reviews existing sports performance metrics; (b) overviews the ecological dynamics approach to sport performance; (c) defines eco-physical variables and reviews their application; (d) provides recommendations for their development and measurement; (e) explores their role in dynamical systems and artificial intelligence modeling; and (f) identifies debates, challenges, and future research.