Ahtinen, A., et al. (2013). "Mobile mental wellness training for stress management: feasibility and design implications based on a one-month field study." JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 1(2): e11.
BACKGROUND: Prevention and management of work-related stress and related mental problems is a great challenge. Mobile applications are a promising way to integrate prevention strategies into the everyday lives of citizens. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study was to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of a mobile mental wellness training application among working-age individuals, and to derive preliminary design implications for mobile apps for stress management. METHODS: Oiva, a mobile app based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), was designed to support active learning of skills related to mental wellness through brief ACT-based exercises in the daily life. A one-month field study with 15 working-age participants was organized to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of Oiva. The usage of Oiva was studied based on the usage log files of the application. Changes in wellness were measured by three validated questionnaires on stress, satisfaction with life (SWLS), and psychological flexibility (AAQ-II) at the beginning and at end of the study and by user experience questionnaires after one week's and one month's use. In-depth user experience interviews were conducted after one month's use to study the acceptance and user experiences of Oiva. RESULTS: Oiva was used actively throughout the study. The average number of usage sessions was 16.8 (SD 2.4) and the total usage time per participant was 3 hours 12 minutes (SD 99 minutes). Significant pre-post improvements were obtained in stress ratings (mean 3.1 SD 0.2 vs mean 2.5 SD 0.1, P=.003) and satisfaction with life scores (mean 23.1 SD 1.3 vs mean 25.9 SD 0.8, P=.02), but not in psychological flexibility. Oiva was perceived easy to use, acceptable, and useful by the participants. A randomized controlled trial is ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of Oiva on working-age individuals with stress problems. CONCLUSIONS: A feasibility study of Oiva mobile mental wellness training app showed good acceptability, usefulness, and engagement among the working-age participants, and provided increased understanding on the essential features of mobile apps for stress management. Five design implications were derived based on the qualitative findings: (1) provide exercises for everyday life, (2) find proper place and time for challenging content, (3) focus on self-improvement and learning instead of external rewards, (4) guide gently but do not restrict choice, and (5) provide an easy and flexible tool for self-reflection.

Altini, M. and H. Kinnunen (2021). "The Promise of Sleep: A Multi-Sensor Approach for Accurate Sleep Stage Detection Using the Oura Ring." Sensors (Basel) 21(13).
Consumer-grade sleep trackers represent a promising tool for large scale studies and health management. However, the potential and limitations of these devices remain less well quantified. Addressing this issue, we aim at providing a comprehensive analysis of the impact of accelerometer, autonomic nervous system (ANS)-mediated peripheral signals, and circadian features for sleep stage detection on a large dataset. Four hundred and forty nights from 106 individuals, for a total of 3444 h of combined polysomnography (PSG) and physiological data from a wearable ring, were acquired. Features were extracted to investigate the relative impact of different data streams on 2-stage (sleep and wake) and 4-stage classification accuracy (light NREM sleep, deep NREM sleep, REM sleep, and wake). Machine learning models were evaluated using a 5-fold cross-validation and a standardized framework for sleep stage classification assessment. Accuracy for 2-stage detection (sleep, wake) was 94% for a simple accelerometer-based model and 96% for a full model that included ANS-derived and circadian features. Accuracy for 4-stage detection was 57% for the accelerometer-based model and 79% when including ANS-derived and circadian features. Combining the compact form factor of a finger ring, multidimensional biometric sensory streams, and machine learning, high accuracy wake-sleep detection and sleep staging can be accomplished.Androulakis-Korakakis, P., et al.

Argent, R., et al. (2022). "Recommendations for Determining the Validity of Consumer Wearables and Smartphones for the Estimation of Energy Expenditure: Expert Statement and Checklist of the INTERLIVE Network." Sports Med 52(8): 1817-1832.
BACKGROUND: Consumer wearables and smartphone devices commonly offer an estimate of energy expenditure (EE) to assist in the objective monitoring of physical activity to the general population. Alongside consumers, healthcare professionals and researchers are seeking to utilise these devices for the monitoring of training and improving human health. However, the methods of validation and reporting of EE estimation in these devices lacks rigour, negatively impacting on the ability to make comparisons between devices and provide transparent accuracy. OBJECTIVES: The Towards Intelligent Health and Well-Being Network of Physical Activity Assessment (INTERLIVE) is a joint European initiative of six universities and one industrial partner. The network was founded in 2019 and strives towards developing best-practice recommendations for evaluating the validity of consumer wearables and smartphones. This expert statement presents a best-practice validation protocol for consumer wearables and smartphones in the estimation of EE. METHODS: The recommendations were developed through (1) a systematic literature review; (2) an unstructured review of the wider literature discussing the potential factors that may introduce bias during validation studies; and (3) evidence-informed expert opinions from members of the INTERLIVE network. RESULTS: The systematic literature review process identified 1645 potential articles, of which 62 were deemed eligible for the final dataset. Based on these studies and the wider literature search, a validation framework is proposed encompassing six key domains for validation: the target population, criterion measure, index measure, testing conditions, data processing and the statistical analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The INTERLIVE network recommends that the proposed protocol, and checklists provided, are used to standardise the testing and reporting of the validation of any consumer wearable or smartphone device to estimate EE. This in turn will maximise the potential utility of these technologies for clinicians, researchers, consumers, and manufacturers/developers, while ensuring transparency, comparability, and replicability in validation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ID: CRD42021223508.

Arney, B. E., et al. (2019). "Comparison of RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) Scales for Session RPE." Int J Sports Physiol Perform 14(7): 994-996.
PURPOSE: The session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) is a well-accepted method of monitoring training load in athletes in many different sports. It is based on the category-ratio (0-10) RPE scale (BORG-CR10) developed by Borg. There is no evidence how substitution of the Borg 6-20 RPE scale (BORG-RPE) might influence the sRPE in athletes. METHOD: Systematically training, recreational-level athletes from a number of sport disciplines performed 6 randomly ordered, 30-min interval-training sessions, at intensities based on peak power output (PPO) and designed to be easy (50% PPO), moderate (75% PPO), or hard (85% PPO). Ratings of sRPE were obtained 30 min postexercise using either the BORG-CR10 or BORG-RPE and compared for matched exercise conditions. RESULTS: The average percentage of heart-rate reserve was well correlated with sRPE from both BORG-CR10 (r = .76) and BORG-RPE (r = .69). The sRPE ratings from BORG-CR10 and BORG-RPE were very strongly correlated (r = .90) at matched times. CONCLUSIONS: Although producing different absolute numbers, sRPE derived from either the BORG-CR10 or BORG-RPE provides essentially interchangeable estimates of perceived exercise training intensity.

Baron Short, E., et al. (2010). "Regional brain activation during meditation shows time and practice effects: an exploratory FMRI study." Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 7(1): 121-127.
Meditation involves attentional regulation and may lead to increased activity in brain regions associated with attention such as dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined whether DLPFC and ACC were activated during meditation. Subjects who meditate were recruited and scanned on a 3.0 Tesla scanner. Subjects meditated for four sessions of 12 min and performed four sessions of a 6 min control task. Individual and group t-maps were generated of overall meditation response versus control response and late meditation response versus early meditation response for each subject and time courses were plotted. For the overall group (n = 13), and using an overall brain analysis, there were no statistically significant regional activations of interest using conservative thresholds. A region of interest analysis of the entire group time courses of DLPFC and ACC were statistically more active throughout meditation in comparison to the control task. Moreover, dividing the cohort into short (n = 8) and long-term (n = 5) practitioners (>10 years) revealed that the time courses of long-term practitioners had significantly more consistent and sustained activation in the DLPFC and the ACC during meditation versus control in comparison to short-term practitioners. The regional brain activations in the more practised subjects may correlate with better sustained attention and attentional error monitoring. In summary, brain regions associated with attention vary over the time of a meditation session and may differ between long- and short-term meditation practitioners.

Best, J. R., et al. (2015). "Long-Term Effects of Resistance Exercise Training on Cognition and Brain Volume in Older Women: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial." J Int Neuropsychol Soc 21(10): 745-756.
Aerobic exercise training has been shown to attenuate cognitive decline and reduce brain atrophy with advancing age. The extent to which resistance exercise training improves cognition and prevents brain atrophy is less known, and few studies include long-term follow-up cognitive and neuroimaging assessments. We report data from a randomized controlled trial of 155 older women, who engaged in 52 weeks of resistance training (either once- or twice-weekly) or balance-and-toning (twice-weekly). Executive functioning and memory were assessed at baseline, 1-year follow-up (i.e., immediately post-intervention), and 2-year follow-up. A subset underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging scans at those time points. At 2-year follow-up, both frequencies of resistance training promoted executive function compared to balance-and-toning (standardized difference [d]=.31-.48). Additionally, twice-weekly resistance training promoted memory (d=.45), reduced cortical white matter atrophy (d=.45), and increased peak muscle power (d=.27) at 2-year follow-up relative to balance-and-toning. These effects were independent of one another. These findings suggest resistance training may have a long-term impact on cognition and white matter volume in older women.

Boggiss, A. L., et al. (2020). "A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors." J Psychosom Res 135: 110165.
OBJECTIVE: Gratitude interventions are easy-to-deliver, offering promise for use in clinical-care. Although gratitude interventions have consistently shown benefits to psychological wellbeing, the effects on physical health outcomes are mixed. This systematic review aims to synthesize gratitude intervention studies which assessed physical health and health behavior outcomes, as well as evaluate study quality, comment on their efficacy, and provide directions for future research. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified through searches conducted in PsycINFO, MedLine, Embase and Cochrane Library databases, up until August 2019. Only studies that evaluated a gratitude intervention, randomly assigned participants to gratitude and control conditions, and assessed objective and subjective measures of physical health and health behaviors were included. The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB2) tool was used to assess risk of bias. RESULTS: Of the 1433 articles found, 19 were included in the review. Subjective sleep quality was improved in 5/8 studies. Improvements in blood pressure, glycemic control, asthma control and eating behavior were understudied yet demonstrated improvements (all 1/1). Other outcome categories remain understudied and mixed, such as inflammation markers (1/2) and self-reported physical symptoms (2/8). The majority of studies showed some risk of bias concerns. CONCLUSIONS: Although it was suggested gratitude interventions may improve subjective sleep quality, more research is still needed to make firm conclusions on the efficacy of gratitude interventions on improving health outcomes. Further research focusing on gratitude's link with sleep and causal mechanisms is needed, especially in patient populations where more 'clinically-usable' psychosocial interventions are urgently needed.

Bostock, S., et al. (2019). "Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being." J Occup Health Psychol 24(1): 127-138.
We investigated whether a mindfulness meditation program delivered via a smartphone application could improve psychological well-being, reduce job strain, and reduce ambulatory blood pressure during the workday. Participants were 238 healthy employees from two large United Kingdom companies that were randomized to a mindfulness meditation practice app or a wait-list control condition. The app offered 45 prerecorded 10- to 20-min guided audio meditations. Participants were asked to complete one meditation per day. Psychosocial measures and blood pressure throughout one working day were measured at baseline and eight weeks later; a follow-up survey was also emailed to participants 16 weeks after the intervention start. Usage data showed that during the 8-week intervention period, participants randomized to the intervention completed an average of 17 meditation sessions (range 0-45 sessions). The intervention group reported significant improvement in well-being, distress, job strain, and perceptions of workplace social support compared to the control group. In addition, the intervention group had a marginally significant decrease in self-measured workday systolic blood pressure from pre- to post-intervention. Sustained positive effects in the intervention group were found for well-being and job strain at the 16-week follow-up assessment. This trial suggests that short guided mindfulness meditations delivered via smartphone and practiced multiple times per week can improve outcomes related to work stress and well-being, with potentially lasting effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Bruckmaier, M., et al. (2020). "Attention and Capacity Limits in Perception: A Cellular Metabolism Account." J Neurosci 40(35): 6801-6811.
Limits on perceptual capacity result in various phenomena of inattentional blindness. Here we propose a neurophysiological account attributing these perceptual capacity limits directly to limits on cerebral cellular metabolism. We hypothesized that overall cerebral energy supply remains constant, regardless of overall mental processing demands; therefore, an attention mechanism is required to regulate limited cellular metabolism levels in line with attended task demands. Increased perceptual load in a task (imposing a greater demand on neural computations) should thus result in increased metabolism underlying attended processing, and reduced metabolism mediating unattended processing. We tested this prediction measuring oxidation states of cytochrome c oxidase (oxCCO), an intracellular marker of cellular metabolism. Broadband near-infrared spectroscopy was used to record oxCCO levels from human visual cortex while participants (both sexes) performed a rapid sequential visual search task under either high perceptual load (complex feature-conjunction search) or low load (feature pop-out search). A task-irrelevant, peripheral checkerboard was presented on a random half of trials. Our findings showed that oxCCO levels in visual cortex regions responsive to the attended-task stimuli were increased in high versus low perceptual load, whereas oxCCO levels related to unattended processing were significantly reduced. A negative temporal correlation of these load effects further supported our metabolism trade-off account. These results demonstrate an attentional compensation mechanism that regulates cellular metabolism levels according to processing demands. Moreover, they provide novel evidence for the widely held stipulation that overall cerebral metabolism levels remain constant regardless of mental task demand and establish a neurophysiological account for capacity limits in perception.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We investigated whether capacity limits in perception can be explained by the effects of attention on the allocation of limited cellular metabolic energy for perceptual processing. We measured the oxidation state of cytochrome c oxidase, an intracellular measure of metabolism, in human visual cortex during task performance. The results showed increased levels of cellular metabolism associated with attended processing and reduced levels of metabolism underlying unattended processing when the task was more demanding. A temporal correlation between these effects supported an attention-directed metabolism trade-off. These findings support an account for inattentional blindness grounded in cellular biochemistry. They also provide novel evidence for the claim that cerebral processing is limited by a constant energy supply, which thus requires attentional regulation.

Chen, P. H., et al. (2010). "Sleep hygiene education: efficacy on sleep quality in working women." J Nurs Res 18(4): 283-289.
BACKGROUND: Although sleep hygiene education represents a promising approach for patients with poor sleep quality, little research has been devoted in understanding the sleep hygiene behavior and knowledge of working women. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a short-term sleep hygiene education program on working women with poor sleep quality. METHODS: This pilot study was a prospective and an exploratory intervention study. The intervention was tested on 37 selected working women with poor sleep quality in the community. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (score > 5) was used to identify working women with poor sleep quality. After a pretest to assess sleep quality, researchers implemented a 5-week sleep hygiene education program that addressed good sleep environments/habits, emotional stress, the influence of diet/alcohol/tobacco on sleep, exercise, and alternative therapies. Tests administered midway through the program and after program completion provided the data used to analyze effective sleep quality changes. RESULTS: Results showed sleep hygiene education to improve participant sleep quality significantly (p < .001). The sleep quality of all participants improved over both the 3- and the 5-week education program. The six components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (i.e., subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction) also improved. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A brief and effective sleep hygiene education program delivered by a nurse can improve sleep quality in working women with sleeping problems.

Chu, L.-C. (2010). "The benefits of meditation vis-à-vis emotional intelligence, perceived stress and negative mental health." Stress and Health 26(2): 169-180.

Conklin, Q. A., et al. (2019). "Meditation, stress processes, and telomere biology." Curr Opin Psychol 28: 92-101.
Both theoretical and empirical work support the notion that meditation training can improve telomere regulation, which may ultimately contribute to healthy aging. Yet, the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying these changes remain underspecified, as do the contexts and boundary conditions in which these changes occur. Here we summarize studies investigating the effects of various meditation-based interventions on telomere biology, making suggestions for future research. We then propose a model describing how meditation training may impact acute and habitual stress responses as pathways to improved cell aging.

Coyne, J. O. C., et al. (2020). "Heart Rate Variability and Direct Current Measurement Characteristics in Professional Mixed Martial Arts Athletes." Sports (Basel) 8(8).
This study's purpose was to examine heart rate variability (HRV) and direct current potential (DC) measures' sensitivity and correlations between changes in the acute recovery and stress scale (ARSS) and the previous day's training load. Training load, HRV, DC and ARSS data were collected from fourteen professional mixed martial arts athletes (32.6 +/- 5.3 years, 174.8 +/- 8.8 cm, 79.2 +/- 17.5 kg) the following morning after hard, easy and rest days. Sensitivity was expressed as a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, inter-day typical error (TE) or coefficient of variation (%CV) divided by intra-day TE or %CV). Correlations between HRV, DC and ARSS with training load were also examined. The SNRs for the various HRV and DC measures were acceptable to good (1.02-2.85). There was a 23.1% CV average increase between measures taken between different locations versus the same location. Training load changes were not correlated with HRV/DC but were correlated with ARSS stress variables. Practitioners should be aware of HRV/DC variability; however the daily training signal was greater than the test-retest error in this investigation. Upon awakening, HRV/DC measures appear superior for standardization and planning. HRV and DC measures were less sensitive to the previous day's training load than ARSS measures.

Crawford, D. A., et al. (2018). "Validity, Reliability, and Application of the Session-RPE Method for Quantifying Training Loads during High Intensity Functional Training." Sports (Basel) 6(3).
The session rate of perceived exertion method (sRPE) has often been utilized in sports activities in which quantification of external training loads is challenging. The multi-modal, constantly varied nature of high intensity functional training (HIFT) represents a significant hurdle to calculate external work and the sRPE method may provide an elegant solution to this problem. However, no studies have investigated the psychometric properties of sRPE within HIFT interventions. Twenty-five healthy men and women participated in six weeks of HIFT. Rate of perceived exertion and heart rate were assessed within every training session throughout the duration of the intervention. Compared to criterion heart rate-based measures, we observed sRPE method is a valid tool across individual, group, and sex levels. However, poor reliability in participants' abilities to correctly match rate of perceived exertion with the relative level of physiologic effort (i.e., percentile of maximum heart rate) currently limits the utility of this strategy within HIFT. When applied, the validity and reliability of the sRPE seem to improve over time, and future research should continue to explore the potential of this monitoring strategy within HIFT interventions.

Cullen, B. D., et al. (2020). "Ecological validity of self-reported wellness measures to assess pre-training and pre-competition preparedness within elite Gaelic football." Sport Sciences for Health 17(1): 163-172.

Cunanan, A. J., et al. (2018). "The General Adaptation Syndrome: A Foundation for the Concept of Periodization." Sports Med 48(4): 787-797.
Recent reviews have attempted to refute the efficacy of applying Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS) as a conceptual framework for the training process. Furthermore, the criticisms involved are regularly used as the basis for arguments against the periodization of training. However, these perspectives fail to consider the entirety of Selye's work, the evolution of his model, and the broad applications he proposed. While it is reasonable to critically evaluate any paradigm, critics of the GAS have yet to dismantle the link between stress and adaptation. Disturbance to the state of an organism is the driving force for biological adaptation, which is the central thesis of the GAS model and the primary basis for its application to the athlete's training process. Despite its imprecisions, the GAS has proven to be an instructive framework for understanding the mechanistic process of providing a training stimulus to induce specific adaptations that result in functional enhancements. Pioneers of modern periodization have used the GAS as a framework for the management of stress and fatigue to direct adaptation during sports training. Updates to the periodization concept have retained its founding constructs while explicitly calling for scientifically based, evidence-driven practice suited to the individual. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide greater clarity on how the GAS serves as an appropriate mechanistic model to conceptualize the periodization of training.

Duking, P., et al. (2020). "Wrist-Worn Wearables for Monitoring Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure While Sitting or Performing Light-to-Vigorous Physical Activity: Validation Study." JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 8(5): e16716.
BACKGROUND: Physical activity reduces the incidences of noncommunicable diseases, obesity, and mortality, but an inactive lifestyle is becoming increasingly common. Innovative approaches to monitor and promote physical activity are warranted. While individual monitoring of physical activity aids in the design of effective interventions to enhance physical activity, a basic prerequisite is that the monitoring devices exhibit high validity. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to assess the validity of monitoring heart rate (HR) and energy expenditure (EE) while sitting or performing light-to-vigorous physical activity with 4 popular wrist-worn wearables (Apple Watch Series 4, Polar Vantage V, Garmin Fenix 5, and Fitbit Versa). METHODS: While wearing the 4 different wearables, 25 individuals performed 5 minutes each of sitting, walking, and running at different velocities (ie, 1.1 m/s, 1.9 m/s, 2.7 m/s, 3.6 m/s, and 4.1 m/s), as well as intermittent sprints. HR and EE were compared to common criterion measures: Polar-H7 chest belt for HR and indirect calorimetry for EE. RESULTS: While monitoring HR at different exercise intensities, the standardized typical errors of the estimates were 0.09-0.62, 0.13-0.88, 0.62-1.24, and 0.47-1.94 for the Apple Watch Series 4, Polar Vantage V, Garmin Fenix 5, and Fitbit Versa, respectively. Depending on exercise intensity, the corresponding coefficients of variation were 0.9%-4.3%, 2.2%-6.7%, 2.9%-9.2%, and 4.1%-19.1%, respectively, for the 4 wearables. While monitoring EE at different exercise intensities, the standardized typical errors of the estimates were 0.34-1.84, 0.32-1.33, 0.46-4.86, and 0.41-1.65 for the Apple Watch Series 4, Polar Vantage V, Garmin Fenix 5, and Fitbit Versa, respectively. Depending on exercise intensity, the corresponding coefficients of variation were 13.5%-27.1%, 16.3%-28.0%, 15.9%-34.5%, and 8.0%-32.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Apple Watch Series 4 provides the highest validity (ie, smallest error rates) when measuring HR while sitting or performing light-to-vigorous physical activity, followed by the Polar Vantage V, Garmin Fenix 5, and Fitbit Versa, in that order. The Apple Watch Series 4 and Polar Vantage V are suitable for valid HR measurements at the intensities tested, but HR data provided by the Garmin Fenix 5 and Fitbit Versa should be interpreted with caution due to higher error rates at certain intensities. None of the 4 wrist-worn wearables should be employed to monitor EE at the intensities and durations tested.

Emmons, R. A. and M. E. McCullough (2003). "Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life." J Pers Soc Psychol 84(2): 377-389.
The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.

Emmons, R. A. and R. Stern (2013). "Gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention." J Clin Psychol 69(8): 846-855.
Gratitude practice can be a catalyzing and relational healing force, often untapped in clinical practice. In this article, we provide an overview of current thinking about gratitude's defining and beneficial properties, followed by a brief review of the research on mental health outcomes that result from gratitude practice. Following an analysis of our case study of the use of gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention, we present various self-strategies and techniques for consciously choosing and cultivating gratitude. We conclude by describing ways in which gratitude might be capitalized upon for beneficial outcomes in therapeutic settings.

Epel, E., et al. (2009). "Can meditation slow rate of cellular aging? Cognitive stress, mindfulness, and telomeres." Ann N Y Acad Sci 1172: 34-53.
Understanding the malleable determinants of cellular aging is critical to understanding human longevity. Telomeres may provide a pathway for exploring this question. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. The length of telomeres offers insight into mitotic cell and possibly organismal longevity. Telomere length has now been linked to chronic stress exposure and depression. This raises the question of mechanism: How might cellular aging be modulated by psychological functioning? We consider two psychological processes or states that are in opposition to one another-threat cognition and mindfulness-and their effects on cellular aging. Psychological stress cognitions, particularly appraisals of threat and ruminative thoughts, can lead to prolonged states of reactivity. In contrast, mindfulness meditation techniques appear to shift cognitive appraisals from threat to challenge, decrease ruminative thought, and reduce stress arousal. Mindfulness may also directly increase positive arousal states. We review data linking telomere length to cognitive stress and stress arousal and present new data linking cognitive appraisal to telomere length. Given the pattern of associations revealed so far, we propose that some forms of meditation may have salutary effects on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and stress arousal and increasing positive states of mind and hormonal factors that may promote telomere maintenance. Aspects of this model are currently being tested in ongoing trials of mindfulness meditation.

Evenson, K. R., et al. (2015). "Systematic review of the validity and reliability of consumer-wearable activity trackers." Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 12: 159.
BACKGROUND: Consumer-wearable activity trackers are electronic devices used for monitoring fitness- and other health-related metrics. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence for validity and reliability of popular consumer-wearable activity trackers (Fitbit and Jawbone) and their ability to estimate steps, distance, physical activity, energy expenditure, and sleep. METHODS: Searches included only full-length English language studies published in PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar through July 31, 2015. Two people reviewed and abstracted each included study. RESULTS: In total, 22 studies were included in the review (20 on adults, 2 on youth). For laboratory-based studies using step counting or accelerometer steps, the correlation with tracker-assessed steps was high for both Fitbit and Jawbone (Pearson or intraclass correlation coefficients (CC) > =0.80). Only one study assessed distance for the Fitbit, finding an over-estimate at slower speeds and under-estimate at faster speeds. Two field-based studies compared accelerometry-assessed physical activity to the trackers, with one study finding higher correlation (Spearman CC 0.86, Fitbit) while another study found a wide range in correlation (intraclass CC 0.36-0.70, Fitbit and Jawbone). Using several different comparison measures (indirect and direct calorimetry, accelerometry, self-report), energy expenditure was more often under-estimated by either tracker. Total sleep time and sleep efficiency were over-estimated and wake after sleep onset was under-estimated comparing metrics from polysomnography to either tracker using a normal mode setting. No studies of intradevice reliability were found. Interdevice reliability was reported on seven studies using the Fitbit, but none for the Jawbone. Walking- and running-based Fitbit trials indicated consistently high interdevice reliability for steps (Pearson and intraclass CC 0.76-1.00), distance (intraclass CC 0.90-0.99), and energy expenditure (Pearson and intraclass CC 0.71-0.97). When wearing two Fitbits while sleeping, consistency between the devices was high. CONCLUSION: This systematic review indicated higher validity of steps, few studies on distance and physical activity, and lower validity for energy expenditure and sleep. The evidence reviewed indicated high interdevice reliability for steps, distance, energy expenditure, and sleep for certain Fitbit models. As new activity trackers and features are introduced to the market, documentation of the measurement properties can guide their use in research settings.

Figueiredo, V. C., et al. (2018). "Volume for Muscle Hypertrophy and Health Outcomes: The Most Effective Variable in Resistance Training." Sports Med 48(3): 499-505.
Resistance training is the most effective method to increase muscle mass. It has also been shown to promote many health benefits. Although it is deemed safe and of clinical relevance for treating and preventing a vast number of diseases, a time-efficient and minimal dose of exercise has been the focus of a great number of research studies. Similarly, an inverted U-shaped relationship between training dose/volume and physiological response has been hypothesized to exist. However, the majority of available evidence supports a clear dose-response relationship between resistance training volume and physiological responses, such as muscle hypertrophy and health outcomes. Additionally, there is a paucity of data to support the inverted U-shaped response. Although it may indeed exist, it appears to be much more plastic than previously thought. The overarching principle argued herein is that volume is the most easily modifiable variable that has the most evidenced-based response with important repercussions, be these muscle hypertrophy or health-related outcomes.

Fox, G. R., et al. (2015). "Neural correlates of gratitude." Front Psychol 6: 1491.
Gratitude is an important aspect of human sociality, and is valued by religions and moral philosophies. It has been established that gratitude leads to benefits for both mental health and interpersonal relationships. It is thus important to elucidate the neurobiological correlates of gratitude, which are only now beginning to be investigated. To this end, we conducted an experiment during which we induced gratitude in participants while they underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. We hypothesized that gratitude ratings would correlate with activity in brain regions associated with moral cognition, value judgment and theory of mind. The stimuli used to elicit gratitude were drawn from stories of survivors of the Holocaust, as many survivors report being sheltered by strangers or receiving lifesaving food and clothing, and having strong feelings of gratitude for such gifts. The participants were asked to place themselves in the context of the Holocaust and imagine what their own experience would feel like if they received such gifts. For each gift, they rated how grateful they felt. The results revealed that ratings of gratitude correlated with brain activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex, in support of our hypotheses. The results provide a window into the brain circuitry for moral cognition and positive emotion that accompanies the experience of benefitting from the goodwill of others.

Franceschi, A., et al. (2020). "Training Load, Neuromuscular Readiness, and Perceptual Fatigue Profile in Youth Elite Long-Jump Athletes." Int J Sports Physiol Perform: 1-5.
PURPOSE: To describe and identify individual trends and changes in training load, neuromuscular readiness, and perceptual fatigue measures in 2 youth elite long jumpers, finalists at the European Athletics U18 (Under 18) Championships (athlete A, female, age 16.5 y, long-jump record 6.25 m; athlete B, male, age 16.0 y, long-jump record 7.28 m). METHODS: Data were collected from both training sessions and athletics competitions during a 16-week period, divided into a preparation (weeks 1-8) and a competitive phase (weeks 9-16). Training load was computed through training diaries (training time, sprint, jumping, and weights volume). The countermovement jump and the 10-to-5 repeated-jump test were executed on a weekly basis to assess neuromuscular readiness, and perceptual fatigue measures were collected through a wellness questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using a magnitude-based decisions approach. RESULTS: The results highlighted a decrease in training load during the competitive period with moderate to large differences for training time, sprint, and jump volume. Moreover, data showed an upward trend and very likely higher scores in vertical-jump performance across the competitive phase together with a very likely lower perceptual fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: This scenario seemed to be favorable to achieve competition performance very close to the personal record during the competitive season. This study provided an example of application of a comprehensive monitoring system with young athletes involved in track-and-field jumping events.

Fuller, D., et al. (2020). "Reliability and Validity of Commercially Available Wearable Devices for Measuring Steps, Energy Expenditure, and Heart Rate: Systematic Review." JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 8(9): e18694.
BACKGROUND: Consumer-wearable activity trackers are small electronic devices that record fitness and health-related measures. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the validity and reliability of commercial wearables in measuring step count, heart rate, and energy expenditure. METHODS: We identified devices to be included in the review. Database searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and SPORTDiscus, and only articles published in the English language up to May 2019 were considered. Studies were excluded if they did not identify the device used and if they did not examine the validity or reliability of the device. Studies involving the general population and all special populations were included. We operationalized validity as criterion validity (as compared with other measures) and construct validity (degree to which the device is measuring what it claims). Reliability measures focused on intradevice and interdevice reliability. RESULTS: We included 158 publications examining nine different commercial wearable device brands. Fitbit was by far the most studied brand. In laboratory-based settings, Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Samsung appeared to measure steps accurately. Heart rate measurement was more variable, with Apple Watch and Garmin being the most accurate and Fitbit tending toward underestimation. For energy expenditure, no brand was accurate. We also examined validity between devices within a specific brand. CONCLUSIONS: Commercial wearable devices are accurate for measuring steps and heart rate in laboratory-based settings, but this varies by the manufacturer and device type. Devices are constantly being upgraded and redesigned to new models, suggesting the need for more current reviews and research.

Fyfe, J. J., et al. (2022). "Minimal-Dose Resistance Training for Improving Muscle Mass, Strength, and Function: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Practical Considerations." Sports Med 52(3): 463-479.
Resistance training (RT) is the only non-pharmacological intervention known to consistently improve, and therefore offset age-related declines in, skeletal muscle mass, strength, and power. RT is also associated with various health benefits that are underappreciated compared with the perceived benefits of aerobic-based exercise. For example, RT participation is associated with reduced all-cause and cancer-related mortality and reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Despite these benefits, participation in RT remains low, likely due to numerous factors including time constraints, a high-perceived difficulty, and limited access to facilities and equipment. Identification of RT strategies that limit barriers to participation may increase engagement in RT and subsequently improve population health outcomes. Across the lifespan, declines in strength and power occur up to eight times faster than the loss of muscle mass, and are more strongly associated with functional impairments and risks of morbidity and mortality. Strategies to maximise healthspan should therefore arguably focus more on improving or maintaining muscle strength and power than on increasing muscle mass per se. Accumulating evidence suggests that minimal doses of RT, characterised by lower session volumes than in traditional RT guidelines, together with either (1) higher training intensities/loads performed at lower frequencies (i.e. low-volume, high-load RT) or (2) lower training intensities/loads performed at higher frequencies and with minimal-to-no equipment (i.e. resistance 'exercise snacking'), can improve strength and functional ability in younger and older adults. Such minimal-dose approaches to RT have the potential to minimise various barriers to participation, and may have positive implications for the feasibility and scalability of RT. In addition, brief but frequent minimal-dose RT approaches (i.e. resistance 'exercise snacking') may provide additional benefits for interrupting sedentary behaviour patterns associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. Compared to traditional approaches, minimal-dose RT may also limit negative affective responses, such as increased discomfort and lowered enjoyment, both of which are associated with higher training volumes and may negatively influence exercise adherence. A number of practical factors, including the selection of exercises that target major muscle groups and challenge both balance and the stabilising musculature, may influence the effectiveness of minimal-dose RT on outcomes such as improved independence and quality-of-life in older adults. This narrative review aims to summarise the evidence for minimal-dose RT as a strategy for preserving muscle strength and functional ability across the lifespan, and to discuss practical models and considerations for the application of minimal-dose RT approaches.

Ganesan, S., et al. (2022). "Focused attention meditation in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional functional MRI studies." Neurosci Biobehav Rev 141: 104846.
Meditation trains the mind to focus attention towards an object or experience. Among different meditation techniques, focused attention meditation is considered foundational for more advanced practices. Despite renewed interest in its functional neural correlates, there is no unified neurocognitive model of focused attention meditation developed via quantitative synthesis of contemporary literature. Hence, we performed a quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis of all functional MRI studies examining focussed attention meditation. Following PRISMA guidelines, 28 studies were included in this review, of which 10 studies (200 participants) were amenable to activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. We found that regions comprising three key functional brain networks i.e., Default-mode, Salience, and Executive Control, were consistently implicated in focused attention meditation. Furthermore, meditation expertise, mindfulness levels and attentional skills were found to significantly influence the magnitude, but not regional extent, of activation and functional connectivity in these networks. Aggregating all evidence, we present a unified neurocognitive brain-network model of focused attention meditation.

Goyal, M., et al. (2014). "Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis." JAMA Intern Med 174(3): 357-368.
IMPORTANCE: Many people meditate to reduce psychological stress and stress-related health problems. To counsel people appropriately, clinicians need to know what the evidence says about the health benefits of meditation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of meditation programs in improving stress-related outcomes (anxiety, depression, stress/distress, positive mood, mental health-related quality of life, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, pain, and weight) in diverse adult clinical populations. EVIDENCE REVIEW: We identified randomized clinical trials with active controls for placebo effects through November 2012 from MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, PsycArticles, Scopus, CINAHL, AMED, the Cochrane Library, and hand searches. Two independent reviewers screened citations and extracted data. We graded the strength of evidence using 4 domains (risk of bias, precision, directness, and consistency) and determined the magnitude and direction of effect by calculating the relative difference between groups in change from baseline. When possible, we conducted meta-analyses using standardized mean differences to obtain aggregate estimates of effect size with 95% confidence intervals. FINDINGS: After reviewing 18 753 citations, we included 47 trials with 3515 participants. Mindfulness meditation programs had moderate evidence of improved anxiety (effect size, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.12-0.64] at 8 weeks and 0.22 [0.02-0.43] at 3-6 months), depression (0.30 [0.00-0.59] at 8 weeks and 0.23 [0.05-0.42] at 3-6 months), and pain (0.33 [0.03- 0.62]) and low evidence of improved stress/distress and mental health-related quality of life. We found low evidence of no effect or insufficient evidence of any effect of meditation programs on positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, and weight. We found no evidence that meditation programs were better than any active treatment (ie, drugs, exercise, and other behavioral therapies). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Clinicians should be aware that meditation programs can result in small to moderate reductions of multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress. Thus, clinicians should be prepared to talk with their patients about the role that a meditation program could have in addressing psychological stress. Stronger study designs are needed to determine the effects of meditation programs in improving the positive dimensions of mental health and stress-related behavior.

Haddad, M., et al. (2017). "Session-RPE Method for Training Load Monitoring: Validity, Ecological Usefulness, and Influencing Factors." Front Neurosci 11: 612.
Purpose: The aim of this review is to (1) retrieve all data validating the Session-rating of perceived exertion (RPE)-method using various criteria, (2) highlight the rationale of this method and its ecological usefulness, and (3) describe factors that can alter RPE and users of this method should take into consideration. Method: Search engines such as SPORTDiscus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases in the English language between 2001 and 2016 were consulted for the validity and usefulness of the session-RPE method. Studies were considered for further analysis when they used the session-RPE method proposed by Foster et al. in 2001. Participants were athletes of any gender, age, or level of competition. Studies using languages other than English were excluded in the analysis of the validity and reliability of the session-RPE method. Other studies were examined to explain the rationale of the session-RPE method and the origin of RPE. Results: A total of 950 studies cited the Foster et al. study that proposed the session RPE-method. 36 studies have examined the validity and reliability of this proposed method using the modified CR-10. Conclusion: These studies confirmed the validity and good reliability and internal consistency of session-RPE method in several sports and physical activities with men and women of different age categories (children, adolescents, and adults) among various expertise levels. This method could be used as "standing alone" method for training load (TL) monitoring purposes though some recommend to combine it with other physiological parameters as heart rate.

Hernando, D., et al. (2018). "Validation of the Apple Watch for Heart Rate Variability Measurements during Relax and Mental Stress in Healthy Subjects." Sensors (Basel) 18(8).
Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a noninvasive tool widely used to assess autonomic nervous system state. The market for wearable devices that measure the heart rate has grown exponentially, as well as their potential use for healthcare and wellbeing applications. Still, there is a lack of validation of these devices. In particular, this work aims to validate the Apple Watch in terms of HRV derived from the RR interval series provided by the device, both in temporal (HRM (mean heart rate), SDNN, RMSSD and pNN50) and frequency (low and high frequency powers, LF and HF) domain. For this purpose, a database of 20 healthy volunteers subjected to relax and a mild cognitive stress was used. First, RR interval series provided by Apple Watch were validated using as reference the RR interval series provided by a Polar H7 using Bland-Altman plots and reliability and agreement coefficients. Then, HRV parameters derived from both RR interval series were compared and their ability to identify autonomic nervous system (ANS) response to mild cognitive stress was studied. Apple Watch measurements presented very good reliability and agreement (>0.9). RR interval series provided by Apple Watch contain gaps due to missing RR interval values (on average, 5 gaps per recording, lasting 6.5 s per gap). Temporal HRV indices were not significantly affected by the gaps. However, they produced a significant decrease in the LF and HF power. Despite these differences, HRV indices derived from the Apple Watch RR interval series were able to reflect changes induced by a mild mental stress, showing a significant decrease of HF power as well as RMSSD in stress with respect to relax, suggesting the potential use of HRV measurements derived from Apple Watch for stress monitoring.

Hojjatinia, S., et al. (2021). "Person-specific dose-finding for a digital messaging intervention to promote physical activity." Health Psychol 40(8): 502-512.
OBJECTIVE: Digital messaging is an established method for promoting physical activity. Systematic approaches for dose-finding have not been widely used in behavioral intervention development. We apply system identification tools from control systems engineering to estimate dynamical models and inform decision rules for digital messaging intervention to promote physical activity. METHOD: Insufficiently active emerging and young adults (n = 45) wore an activity monitor that recorded minute-level step counts and heart rate and received 0-6 digital messages daily on their smartphone for 6 months. Messages were drawn from 3 content libraries (move more, sit less, inspirational quotes). Location recordings via location services in the user's smartphone were used to lookup weather indices at the time and place of message delivery. Following system identification, responses to each message type were simulated under different conditions. Response features were extracted to summarize dynamic processes. RESULTS: A generic model based on composite data was conservative and did not capture the heterogeneous responses evident in person-specific models. No messages were uniformly ineffective but responses to specific message content in different contexts varied between people. Exterior temperature at the time of message receipt moderated the size of some message effects. CONCLUSIONS: A generic model of message effects on physical activity can provide the initial evidence for context-sensitive decision rules in a just-in-time adaptive intervention, but it is likely to be error-prone and inefficient. As individual data accumulates, person-specific models should be estimated to optimize treatment and evolve as people are exposed to new environments and accumulate new experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Huberty, J., et al. (2019). "Efficacy of the Mindfulness Meditation Mobile App "Calm" to Reduce Stress Among College Students: Randomized Controlled Trial." JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 7(6): e14273.
BACKGROUND: College students experience high levels of stress. Mindfulness meditation delivered via a mobile app may be an appealing, efficacious way to reduce stress in college students. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to test the initial efficacy and sustained effects of an 8-week mindfulness meditation mobile app-Calm-compared to a wait-list control on stress, mindfulness, and self-compassion in college students with elevated stress. We also explored the intervention's effect on health behaviors (ie, sleep disturbance, alcohol consumption [binge drinking], physical activity, and healthy eating [fruit and vegetable consumption]) and the feasibility and acceptability of the app. METHODS: This study was a randomized, wait-list, control trial with assessments at baseline, postintervention (8 weeks), and at follow-up (12 weeks). Participants were eligible if they were current full-time undergraduate students and (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) scored >/=14 points on the Perceived Stress Scale, (3) owned a smartphone, (4) were willing to download the Calm app, (5) were willing to be randomized, and (7) were able to read and understand English. Participants were asked to meditate using Calm at least 10 minutes per day. A P value </=.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 88 participants were included in the analysis. The mean age (SD) was 20.41 (2.31) years for the intervention group and 21.85 (6.3) years for the control group. There were significant differences in all outcomes (stress, mindfulness, and self-compassion) between the intervention and control groups after adjustment for covariates postintervention (all P<.04). These effects persisted at follow-up (all P<.03), except for the nonreacting subscale of mindfulness (P=.08). There was a significant interaction between group and time factors in perceived stress (P=.002), mindfulness (P<.001), and self-compassion (P<.001). Bonferroni posthoc tests showed significant within-group mean differences for perceived stress in the intervention group (P<.001), while there were no significant within-group mean differences in the control group (all P>.19). Similar results were found for mindfulness and self-compassion. Effect sizes ranged from moderate (0.59) to large (1.24) across all outcomes. A significant groupxtime interaction in models of sleep disturbance was found, but no significant effects were found for other health behaviors. The majority of students in the intervention group reported that Calm was helpful to reduce stress and stated they would use Calm in the future. The majority were satisfied using Calm and likely to recommend it to other college students. The intervention group participated in meditation for an average of 38 minutes/week during the intervention and 20 minutes/week during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Calm is an effective modality to deliver mindfulness meditation in order to reduce stress and improve mindfulness and self-compassion in stressed college students. Our findings provide important information that can be applied to the design of future studies or mental health resources in university programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03891810; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03891810.

Impellizzeri, F. M., et al. (2004). "Use of RPE-based training load in soccer." Med Sci Sports Exerc 36(6): 1042-1047.
PURPOSE: The ability to accurately control and monitor internal training load is an important aspect of effective coaching. The aim of this study was to apply in soccer the RPE-based method proposed by Foster et al. to quantify internal training load (session-RPE) and to assess its correlations with various methods used to determine internal training load based on the HR response to exercise. METHODS: Nineteen young soccer players (mean +/- SD: age 17.6 +/- 0.7 yr, weight 70.2 +/- 4.7 kg, height 178.5 +/- 4.8 cm, body fat 7.5 +/- 2.2%, VO2max, 57.1 +/- 4.0 mL x kg x min) were involved in the study. All subjects performed an incremental treadmill test before and after the training period during which lactate threshold (1.5 mmol x L above baseline) and OBLA (4.0 mmol x L) were determined. The training loads completed during the seven training weeks were determined multiplying the session RPE (CR10-scale) by session duration in minutes. These session-RPE values were correlated with training load measures obtained from three different HR-based methods suggested by Edwards, Banister, and Lucia, respectively. RESULTS: Individual internal loads of 479 training sessions were collected. All individual correlations between various HR-based training load and session-RPE were statistically significant (from r = 0.50 to r = 0.85, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that the session-RPE can be considered a good indicator of global internal load of soccer training. This method does not require particular expensive equipment and can be very useful and practical for coaches and athletic trainer to monitor and control internal load, and to design periodization strategies.

Iversen, V. M., et al. (2021). "No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review." Sports Med 51(10): 2079-2095.
Lack of time is among the more commonly reported barriers for abstention from exercise programs. The aim of this review was to determine how strength training can be most effectively carried out in a time-efficient manner by critically evaluating research on acute training variables, advanced training techniques, and the need for warm-up and stretching. When programming strength training for optimum time-efficiency we recommend prioritizing bilateral, multi-joint exercises that include full dynamic movements (i.e. both eccentric and concentric muscle actions), and to perform a minimum of one leg pressing exercise (e.g. squats), one upper-body pulling exercise (e.g. pull-up) and one upper-body pushing exercise (e.g. bench press). Exercises can be performed with machines and/or free weights based on training goals, availability, and personal preferences. Weekly training volume is more important than training frequency and we recommend performing a minimum of 4 weekly sets per muscle group using a 6-15 RM loading range (15-40 repetitions can be used if training is performed to volitional failure). Advanced training techniques, such as supersets, drop sets and rest-pause training roughly halves training time compared to traditional training, while maintaining training volume. However, these methods are probably better at inducing hypertrophy than muscular strength, and more research is needed on longitudinal training effects. Finally, we advise restricting the warm-up to exercise-specific warm-ups, and only prioritize stretching if the goal of training is to increase flexibility. This review shows how acute training variables can be manipulated, and how specific training techniques can be used to optimize the training response: time ratio in regard to improvements in strength and hypertrophy.

Karns, C. M., et al. (2017). "The Cultivation of Pure Altruism via Gratitude: A Functional MRI Study of Change with Gratitude Practice." Front Hum Neurosci 11: 599.
Gratitude is an emotion and a trait linked to well-being and better health, and welcoming benefits to oneself is instrumentally valuable. However, theoretical and empirical work highlights that gratitude is more fully understood as an intrinsically valuable moral emotion. To understand the role of neural reward systems in the association between gratitude and altruistic motivations we tested two hypotheses: First, whether self-reported propensity toward gratitude relates to fMRI-derived indicators of "pure altruism," operationalized as the neural valuation of passive, private transfers to a charity versus to oneself. In young adult female participants, self-reported gratitude and altruism were associated with "neural pure altruism" in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and nucleus accumbens. Second, whether neural pure altruism can be increased through practicing gratitude. In a double-blind study, we randomly assigned participants to either a gratitude-journal or active-neutral control journal group for 3 weeks. Relative to pre-test levels, gratitude journaling increased the neural pure altruism response in the VMPFC. We posit that as a context-dependent value-sensitive cortical region, the VMPFC supports change with gratitude practice, a change that is larger for benefits to others versus oneself.

Kasala, E. R., et al. (2014). "Effect of meditation on neurophysiological changes in stress mediated depression." Complement Ther Clin Pract 20(1): 74-80.
Meditation is a complex mental practice involving changes in sensory perception, cognition, hormonal and autonomic activity. It is widely used in psychological and medical practices for stress management as well as stress mediated mental disorders like depression. A growing body of literature has shown that meditation has profound effects on numerous physiological systems that are involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Although meditation-based interventions have been associated with improvement in depressive symptoms and prevention of relapse, the physiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of meditation are not clearly defined and even paradoxical. This paper reviews many of the physiological abnormalities found in cytokine & stress mediated depression and the reversal of these anomalies by different meditation techniques.

Kay, M. W., et al. (2022). "Targeting Parasympathetic Activity to Improve Autonomic Tone and Clinical Outcomes." Physiology (Bethesda) 37(1): 39-45.
In this review we will briefly summarize the evidence that autonomic imbalance, more specifically reduced parasympathetic activity to the heart, generates and/or maintains many cardiorespiratory diseases and will discuss mechanisms and sites, from myocytes to the brain, that are potential translational targets for restoring parasympathetic activity and improving cardiorespiratory health.

Keiflin, R. and P. H. Janak (2015). "Dopamine Prediction Errors in Reward Learning and Addiction: From Theory to Neural Circuitry." Neuron 88(2): 247-263.
Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are proposed to signal reward prediction error (RPE), a fundamental parameter in associative learning models. This RPE hypothesis provides a compelling theoretical framework for understanding DA function in reward learning and addiction. New studies support a causal role for DA-mediated RPE activity in promoting learning about natural reward; however, this question has not been explicitly tested in the context of drug addiction. In this review, we integrate theoretical models with experimental findings on the activity of DA systems, and on the causal role of specific neuronal projections and cell types, to provide a circuit-based framework for probing DA-RPE function in addiction. By examining error-encoding DA neurons in the neural network in which they are embedded, hypotheses regarding circuit-level adaptations that possibly contribute to pathological error signaling and addiction can be formulated and tested.

Kini, P., et al. (2016). "The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity." Neuroimage 128: 1-10.
Gratitude is a common aspect of social interaction, yet relatively little is known about the neural bases of gratitude expression, nor how gratitude expression may lead to longer-term effects on brain activity. To address these twin issues, we recruited subjects who coincidentally were entering psychotherapy for depression and/or anxiety. One group participated in a gratitude writing intervention, which required them to write letters expressing gratitude. The therapy-as-usual control group did not perform a writing intervention. After three months, subjects performed a "Pay It Forward" task in the fMRI scanner. In the task, subjects were repeatedly endowed with a monetary gift and then asked to pass it on to a charitable cause to the extent they felt grateful for the gift. Operationalizing gratitude as monetary gifts allowed us to engage the subjects and quantify the gratitude expression for subsequent analyses. We measured brain activity and found regions where activity correlated with self-reported gratitude experience during the task, even including related constructs such as guilt motivation and desire to help as statistical controls. These were mostly distinct from brain regions activated by empathy or theory of mind. Also, our between groups cross-sectional study found that a simple gratitude writing intervention was associated with significantly greater and lasting neural sensitivity to gratitude - subjects who participated in gratitude letter writing showed both behavioral increases in gratitude and significantly greater neural modulation by gratitude in the medial prefrontal cortex three months later.

Lee, D. H., et al. (2022). "Long-Term Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intensity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort of US Adults." Circulation 146(7): 523-534.
BACKGROUND: The 2018 physical activity guidelines for Americans recommend a minimum of 150 to 300 min/wk of moderate physical activity (MPA), 75 to 150 min/wk of vigorous physical activity (VPA), or an equivalent combination of both. However, it remains unclear whether higher levels of long-term VPA and MPA are, independently and jointly, associated with lower mortality. METHODS: A total of 116 221 adults from 2 large prospective US cohorts (Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1988-2018) were analyzed. Detailed self-reported leisure-time physical activity was assessed with a validated questionnaire, repeated up to 15 times during the follow-up. Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% CI of the association between long-term leisure-time physical activity intensity and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. RESULTS: During 30 years of follow-up, we identified 47 596 deaths. In analyses mutually adjusted for MPA and VPA, hazard ratios comparing individuals meeting the long-term leisure-time VPA guideline (75-149 min/wk) versus no VPA were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.76-0.87) for all-cause mortality, 0.69 (95% CI, 0.60-0.78) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.79-0.92) for non-CVD mortality. Meeting the long-term leisure-time MPA guideline (150-299 min/wk) was similarly associated with lower mortality: 19% to 25% lower risk of all-cause, CVD, and non-CVD mortality. Compared with those meeting the long-term leisure-time physical activity guidelines, participants who reported 2 to 4 times above the recommended minimum of long-term leisure-time VPA (150-299 min/wk) or MPA (300-599 min/wk) showed 2% to 4% and 3% to 13% lower mortality, respectively. Higher levels of either long-term leisure-time VPA (>/=300 min/wk) or MPA (>/=600 min/wk) did not clearly show further lower all-cause, CVD, and non-CVD mortality or harm. In joint analyses, for individuals who reported <300 min/wk of long-term leisure-time MPA, additional leisure-time VPA was associated with lower mortality; however, among those who reported >/=300 min/wk of long-term leisure-time MPA, additional leisure-time VPA did not appear to be associated with lower mortality beyond MPA. CONCLUSIONS: The nearly maximum association with lower mortality was achieved by performing approximately 150 to 300 min/wk of long-term leisure-time VPA, 300 to 600 min/wk of long-term leisure-time MPA, or an equivalent combination of both.

Lopes Dos Santos, M., et al. (2020). "Stress in Academic and Athletic Performance in Collegiate Athletes: A Narrative Review of Sources and Monitoring Strategies." Front Sports Act Living 2: 42.
College students are required to manage a variety of stressors related to academic, social, and financial commitments. In addition to the burdens facing most college students, collegiate athletes must devote a substantial amount of time to improving their sporting abilities. The strength and conditioning professional sees the athlete on nearly a daily basis and is able to recognize the changes in performance and behavior an athlete may exhibit as a result of these stressors. As such, the strength and conditioning professional may serve an integral role in the monitoring of these stressors and may be able to alter training programs to improve both performance and wellness. The purpose of this paper is to discuss stressors experienced by collegiate athletes, developing an early detection system through monitoring techniques that identify the detrimental effects of stress, and discuss appropriate stress management strategies for this population.

Maupin, D., et al. (2019). "Tracking Training Load and Its Implementation in Tactical Populations: A Narrative Review." Strength & Conditioning Journal 41(6): 1-11.

Miller, D. J., et al. (2022). "A Validation of Six Wearable Devices for Estimating Sleep, Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Adults." Sensors (Basel) 22(16).
The primary aim of this study was to examine the validity of six commonly used wearable devices, i.e., Apple Watch S6, Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, Polar Vantage V, Oura Ring Generation 2, WHOOP 3.0 and Somfit, for assessing sleep. The secondary aim was to examine the validity of the six devices for assessing heart rate and heart rate variability during, or just prior to, night-time sleep. Fifty-three adults (26 F, 27 M, aged 25.4 +/- 5.9 years) spent a single night in a sleep laboratory with 9 h in bed (23:00-08:00 h). Participants were fitted with all six wearable devices-and with polysomnography and electrocardiography for gold-standard assessment of sleep and heart rate, respectively. Compared with polysomnography, agreement (and Cohen's kappa) for two-state categorisation of sleep periods (as sleep or wake) was 88% (kappa = 0.30) for Apple Watch; 89% (kappa = 0.35) for Garmin; 87% (kappa = 0.44) for Polar; 89% (kappa = 0.51) for Oura; 86% (kappa = 0.44) for WHOOP and 87% (kappa = 0.48) for Somfit. Compared with polysomnography, agreement (and Cohen's kappa) for multi-state categorisation of sleep periods (as a specific sleep stage or wake) was 53% (kappa = 0.20) for Apple Watch; 50% (kappa = 0.25) for Garmin; 51% (kappa = 0.28) for Polar; 61% (kappa = 0.43) for Oura; 60% (kappa = 0.44) for WHOOP and 65% (kappa = 0.52) for Somfit. Analyses regarding the two-state categorisation of sleep indicate that all six devices are valid for the field-based assessment of the timing and duration of sleep. However, analyses regarding the multi-state categorisation of sleep indicate that all six devices require improvement for the assessment of specific sleep stages. As the use of wearable devices that are valid for the assessment of sleep increases in the general community, so too does the potential to answer research questions that were previously impractical or impossible to address-in some way, we could consider that the whole world is becoming a sleep laboratory.

Mohan, A., et al. (2011). "Effect of meditation on stress-induced changes in cognitive functions." J Altern Complement Med 17(3): 207-212.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to study the effects of meditation on stress-induced changes in cognitive functions. METHODS: The study was conducted on 32 healthy adult male student volunteers who had never practiced meditation before the study. The study consisted of practicing 20 minutes of guided meditation and administration of psychologic stress to the subjects. The psychologic stress was administered to the subjects by asking them to play a (preselected) stressful computer game. The subjects were asked to meditate either before or after the administration of psychologic stress. For the control group measurements, the subjects were asked to wait quietly for an equivalent period of meditation time. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR), electromyography (EMG), sympathetic reactivity (QTc/QS2 ratio), cortisol, and acute psychologic stress scores. The central nervous system functions were assessed using Wechsler memory scale and visual-choice reaction time (VCRT). These parameters were measured both at the beginning and at the end of the intervention, using a pre-post experimental test design. RESULTS: Computer game stress was associated with a significant increase in physiologic (GSR, EMG, HR, QTc/QS2) and psychologic (acute stress questionnaire scores) markers of stress. Meditation was associated with relaxation (significant decrease in GSR, EMG, QTc/QS2, and acute stress questionnaire scores). Meditation, if practiced before the stressful event, reduced the adverse effects of stress. Memory quotient significantly increased, whereas cortisol level decreased after both stress and meditation. VCRT showed no significant change. CONCLUSIONS: Practice of meditation produced a relaxation response even in the young adult subjects who had never practiced meditation before. The practice of meditation reduced the physiologic stress responses without taking away the beneficial effect of stress, namely, improved memory scores.

Murray, A., et al. (2019). "Variability of within-step acceleration and daily wellness monitoring in Collegiate American Football." J Sci Med Sport 22(4): 488-493.
OBJECTIVES: It is commonplace to consider accelerometer load and any resultant neuromuscular fatigue in training programs. With these data becoming accepted in sport alongside wellness questionnaires this study aimed to investigate if a deeper analysis of the accelerometry data can provide actionable insight into training-induced disruptions. DESIGN: Accelerometer data from Collegiate American Football athletes (n=63) were collected during training and matches across a regular season. METHODS: These data were processed to: identify instances of high speed running, extract step waveforms from those sections, and determine the variability of those waveforms via a within- and between-section co-efficient of multiple determination. Athletes completed wellness questionnaires prior to sessions that were used to flag areas of muscle soreness as well as fatigue, or disturbed sleep quality. Linear mixed models were used to assess associations between inter stride variability and flags in wellness/soreness markers. RESULTS: An increase in acute (7d) load saw an increased stride variability in these athletes. Feeling less fatigued and/or lower muscle soreness was associated with higher stride variability. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of variability has the potential to identify athletes who are displaying physical symptoms that would indicate the need to modify training.

O'Driscoll, R., et al. (2020). "How well do activity monitors estimate energy expenditure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the validity of current technologies." Br J Sports Med 54(6): 332-340.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of wrist and arm-worn activity monitors' estimates of energy expenditure (EE). DATA SOURCES: SportDISCUS (EBSCOHost), PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (EBSCOHost), Embase (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCOHost). DESIGN: A random effects meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the difference in EE estimates between activity monitors and criterion measurements. Moderator analyses were conducted to determine the benefit of additional sensors and to compare the accuracy of devices used for research purposes with commercially available devices. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included studies validating EE estimates from wrist-worn or arm-worn activity monitors against criterion measures (indirect calorimetry, room calorimeters and doubly labelled water) in healthy adult populations. RESULTS: 60 studies (104 effect sizes) were included in the meta-analysis. Devices showed variable accuracy depending on activity type. Large and significant heterogeneity was observed for many devices (I(2) >75%). Combining heart rate or heat sensing technology with accelerometry decreased the error in most activity types. Research-grade devices were statistically more accurate for comparisons of total EE but less accurate than commercial devices during ambulatory activity and sedentary tasks. CONCLUSIONS: EE estimates from wrist and arm-worn devices differ in accuracy depending on activity type. Addition of physiological sensors improves estimates of EE, and research-grade devices are superior for total EE. These data highlight the need to improve estimates of EE from wearable devices, and one way this can be achieved is with the addition of heart rate to accelerometry. PROSPEROREGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018085016.

Peterson, K. D. (2018). "Recurrent Neural Network to Forecast Sprint Performance." Applied Artificial Intelligence 32(7-8): 692-706.

Piercy, K. L. and R. P. Troiano (2018). "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans From the US Department of Health and Human Services." Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 11(11): e005263.

Plews, D. J., et al. (2017). "Comparison of Heart-Rate-Variability Recording With Smartphone Photoplethysmography, Polar H7 Chest Strap, and Electrocardiography." Int J Sports Physiol Perform 12(10): 1324-1328.
PURPOSE: To establish the validity of smartphone photoplethysmography (PPG) and heart-rate sensor in the measurement of heart-rate variability (HRV). METHODS: 29 healthy subjects were measured at rest during 5 min of guided breathing and normal breathing using smartphone PPG, a heart-rate chest strap, and electrocardiography (ECG). The root mean sum of the squared differences between R-R intervals (rMSSD) was determined from each device. RESULTS: Compared to ECG, the technical error of estimate (TEE) was acceptable for all conditions (average TEE CV% [90% CI] = 6.35 [5.13; 8.5]). When assessed as a standardized difference, all differences were deemed "trivial" (average standard difference [90% CI] = 0.10 [0.08; 0.13]). Both PPG- and heart-rate-sensor-derived measures had almost perfect correlations with ECG (R = 1.00 [0.99; 1.00]). CONCLUSION: Both PPG and heart-rate sensors provide an acceptable agreement for the measurement of rMSSD when compared with ECG. Smartphone PPG technology may be a preferred method of HRV data collection for athletes due to its practicality and ease of use in the field.

Portocarrero, F. F., et al. (2020). "A meta-analytic review of the relationship between dispositional gratitude and well-being." Personality and Individual Differences 164.

Rash, J. A., et al. (2011). "Gratitude and Well-Being: Who Benefits the Most from a Gratitude Intervention?" Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 3(3): 350-369.

Saw, A. E., et al. (2016). "Monitoring the athlete training response: subjective self-reported measures trump commonly used objective measures: a systematic review." Br J Sports Med 50(5): 281-291.
BACKGROUND: Monitoring athlete well-being is essential to guide training and to detect any progression towards negative health outcomes and associated poor performance. Objective (performance, physiological, biochemical) and subjective measures are all options for athlete monitoring. OBJECTIVE: We systematically reviewed objective and subjective measures of athlete well-being. Objective measures, including those taken at rest (eg, blood markers, heart rate) and during exercise (eg, oxygen consumption, heart rate response), were compared against subjective measures (eg, mood, perceived stress). All measures were also evaluated for their response to acute and chronic training load. METHODS: The databases Academic search complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and PubMed were searched in May 2014. Fifty-six original studies reported concurrent subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being. The quality and strength of findings of each study were evaluated to determine overall levels of evidence. RESULTS: Subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being generally did not correlate. Subjective measures reflected acute and chronic training loads with superior sensitivity and consistency than objective measures. Subjective well-being was typically impaired with an acute increase in training load, and also with chronic training, while an acute decrease in training load improved subjective well-being. SUMMARY: This review provides further support for practitioners to use subjective measures to monitor changes in athlete well-being in response to training. Subjective measures may stand alone, or be incorporated into a mixed methods approach to athlete monitoring, as is current practice in many sport settings.

Schoenfeld, B. J. (2013). "Potential mechanisms for a role of metabolic stress in hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training." Sports Med 43(3): 179-194.
It is well established that regimented resistance training can promote increases in muscle hypertrophy. The prevailing body of research indicates that mechanical stress is the primary impetus for this adaptive response and studies show that mechanical stress alone can initiate anabolic signalling. Given the dominant role of mechanical stress in muscle growth, the question arises as to whether other factors may enhance the post-exercise hypertrophic response. Several researchers have proposed that exercise-induced metabolic stress may in fact confer such an anabolic effect and some have even suggested that metabolite accumulation may be more important than high force development in optimizing muscle growth. Metabolic stress pursuant to traditional resistance training manifests as a result of exercise that relies on anaerobic glycolysis for adenosine triphosphate production. This, in turn, causes the subsequent accumulation of metabolites, particularly lactate and H(+). Acute muscle hypoxia associated with such training methods may further heighten metabolic buildup. Therefore, the purpose of this paper will be to review the emerging body of research suggesting a role for exercise-induced metabolic stress in maximizing muscle development and present insights as to the potential mechanisms by which these hypertrophic adaptations may occur. These mechanisms include increased fibre recruitment, elevated systemic hormonal production, alterations in local myokines, heightened production of reactive oxygen species and cell swelling. Recommendations are provided for potential areas of future research on the subject.

Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2019). "Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men." Med Sci Sports Exerc 51(1): 94-103.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate muscular adaptations between low-, moderate-, and high-volume resistance training protocols in resistance-trained men. METHODS: Thirty-four healthy resistance-trained men were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: a low-volume group performing one set per exercise per training session (n = 11), a moderate-volume group performing three sets per exercise per training session (n = 12), or a high-volume group performing five sets per exercise per training session (n = 11). Training for all routines consisted of three weekly sessions performed on nonconsecutive days for 8 wk. Muscular strength was evaluated with one repetition maximum (RM) testing for the squat and bench press. Upper-body muscle endurance was evaluated using 50% of subjects bench press 1RM performed to momentary failure. Muscle hypertrophy was evaluated using B-mode ultrasonography for the elbow flexors, elbow extensors, mid-thigh, and lateral thigh. RESULTS: Results showed significant preintervention to postintervention increases in strength and endurance in all groups, with no significant between-group differences. Alternatively, while all groups increased muscle size in most of the measured sites from preintervention to postintervention, significant increases favoring the higher-volume conditions were seen for the elbow flexors, mid-thigh, and lateral thigh. CONCLUSIONS: Marked increases in strength and endurance can be attained by resistance-trained individuals with just three 13-min weekly sessions over an 8-wk period, and these gains are similar to that achieved with a substantially greater time commitment. Alternatively, muscle hypertrophy follows a dose-response relationship, with increasingly greater gains achieved with higher training volumes.

Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2016). "Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Sports Med 46(11): 1689-1697.
BACKGROUND: A number of resistance training (RT) program variables can be manipulated to maximize muscular hypertrophy. One variable of primary interest in this regard is RT frequency. Frequency can refer to the number of resistance training sessions performed in a given period of time, as well as to the number of times a specific muscle group is trained over a given period of time. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of resistance training frequency on hypertrophic outcomes. METHODS: Studies were deemed eligible for inclusion if they met the following criteria: (1) were an experimental trial published in an English-language refereed journal; (2) directly compared different weekly resistance training frequencies in traditional dynamic exercise using coupled concentric and eccentric actions; (3) measured morphologic changes via biopsy, imaging, circumference, and/or densitometry; (4) had a minimum duration of 4 weeks; and (5) used human participants without chronic disease or injury. A total of ten studies were identified that investigated RT frequency in accordance with the criteria outlined. RESULTS: Analysis using binary frequency as a predictor variable revealed a significant impact of training frequency on hypertrophy effect size (P = 0.002), with higher frequency being associated with a greater effect size than lower frequency (0.49 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.30 +/- 0.07, respectively). Statistical analyses of studies investigating training session frequency when groups are matched for frequency of training per muscle group could not be carried out and reliable estimates could not be generated due to inadequate sample size. CONCLUSIONS: When comparing studies that investigated training muscle groups between 1 to 3 days per week on a volume-equated basis, the current body of evidence indicates that frequencies of training twice a week promote superior hypertrophic outcomes to once a week. It can therefore be inferred that the major muscle groups should be trained at least twice a week to maximize muscle growth; whether training a muscle group three times per week is superior to a twice-per-week protocol remains to be determined.

Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2017). "Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis." J Sports Sci 35(11): 1073-1082.
The purpose of this paper was to systematically review the current literature and elucidate the effects of total weekly resistance training (RT) volume on changes in measures of muscle mass via meta-regression. The final analysis comprised 34 treatment groups from 15 studies. Outcomes for weekly sets as a continuous variable showed a significant effect of volume on changes in muscle size (P = 0.002). Each additional set was associated with an increase in effect size (ES) of 0.023 corresponding to an increase in the percentage gain by 0.37%. Outcomes for weekly sets categorised as lower or higher within each study showed a significant effect of volume on changes in muscle size (P = 0.03); the ES difference between higher and lower volumes was 0.241, which equated to a percentage gain difference of 3.9%. Outcomes for weekly sets as a three-level categorical variable (<5, 5-9 and 10+ per muscle) showed a trend for an effect of weekly sets (P = 0.074). The findings indicate a graded dose-response relationship whereby increases in RT volume produce greater gains in muscle hypertrophy.

Shaffer, F. and J. P. Ginsberg (2017). "An Overview of Heart Rate Variability Metrics and Norms." Front Public Health 5: 258.
Healthy biological systems exhibit complex patterns of variability that can be described by mathematical chaos. Heart rate variability (HRV) consists of changes in the time intervals between consecutive heartbeats called interbeat intervals (IBIs). A healthy heart is not a metronome. The oscillations of a healthy heart are complex and constantly changing, which allow the cardiovascular system to rapidly adjust to sudden physical and psychological challenges to homeostasis. This article briefly reviews current perspectives on the mechanisms that generate 24 h, short-term (~5 min), and ultra-short-term (<5 min) HRV, the importance of HRV, and its implications for health and performance. The authors provide an overview of widely-used HRV time-domain, frequency-domain, and non-linear metrics. Time-domain indices quantify the amount of HRV observed during monitoring periods that may range from ~2 min to 24 h. Frequency-domain values calculate the absolute or relative amount of signal energy within component bands. Non-linear measurements quantify the unpredictability and complexity of a series of IBIs. The authors survey published normative values for clinical, healthy, and optimal performance populations. They stress the importance of measurement context, including recording period length, subject age, and sex, on baseline HRV values. They caution that 24 h, short-term, and ultra-short-term normative values are not interchangeable. They encourage professionals to supplement published norms with findings from their own specialized populations. Finally, the authors provide an overview of HRV assessment strategies for clinical and optimal performance interventions.

Shei, R. J., et al. (2022). "Wearable activity trackers-advanced technology or advanced marketing?" Eur J Appl Physiol 122(9): 1975-1990.
Wearable devices represent one of the most popular trends in health and fitness. Rapid advances in wearable technology present a dizzying display of possible functions: from thermometers and barometers, magnetometers and accelerometers, to oximeters and calorimeters. Consumers and practitioners utilize wearable devices to track outcomes, such as energy expenditure, training load, step count, and heart rate. While some rely on these devices in tandem with more established tools, others lean on wearable technology for health-related outcomes, such as heart rhythm analysis, peripheral oxygen saturation, sleep quality, and caloric expenditure. Given the increasing popularity of wearable devices for both recreation and health initiatives, understanding the strengths and limitations of these technologies is increasingly relevant. Need exists for continued evaluation of the efficacy of wearable devices to accurately and reliably measure purported outcomes. The purposes of this review are (1) to assess the current state of wearable devices using recent research on validity and reliability, (2) to describe existing gaps between physiology and technology, and (3) to offer expert interpretation for the lay and professional audience on how best to approach wearable technology and employ it in the pursuit of health and fitness. Current literature demonstrates inconsistent validity and reliability for various metrics, with algorithms not publicly available or lacking high-quality validation studies. Advancements in wearable technology should consider standardizing validation metrics, providing transparency in used algorithms, and improving how technology can be tailored to individuals. Until then, it is prudent to exercise caution when interpreting metrics reported from consumer-wearable devices.

Silverman, M. N. and P. A. Deuster (2014). "Biological mechanisms underlying the role of physical fitness in health and resilience." Interface Focus 4(5): 20140040.
Physical fitness, achieved through regular exercise and/or spontaneous physical activity, confers resilience by inducing positive psychological and physiological benefits, blunting stress reactivity, protecting against potentially adverse behavioural and metabolic consequences of stressful events and preventing many chronic diseases. In this review, we discuss the biological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical fitness on mental and physical health. Physical fitness appears to buffer against stress-related disease owing to its blunting/optimizing effects on hormonal stress responsive systems, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. This blunting appears to contribute to reduced emotional, physiological and metabolic reactivity as well as increased positive mood and well-being. Another mechanism whereby regular exercise and/or physical fitness may confer resilience is through minimizing excessive inflammation. Chronic psychological stress, physical inactivity and abdominal adiposity have been associated with persistent, systemic, low-grade inflammation and exert adverse effects on mental and physical health. The anti-inflammatory effects of regular exercise/activity can promote behavioural and metabolic resilience, and protect against various chronic diseases associated with systemic inflammation. Moreover, exercise may benefit the brain by enhancing growth factor expression and neural plasticity, thereby contributing to improved mood and cognition. In summary, the mechanisms whereby physical fitness promotes increased resilience and well-being and positive psychological and physical health are diverse and complex.

Solino-Fernandez, D., et al. (2019). "Willingness to adopt wearable devices with behavioral and economic incentives by health insurance wellness programs: results of a US cross-sectional survey with multiple consumer health vignettes." BMC Public Health 19(1): 1649.
BACKGROUND: The number of health-related wearable devices is growing but it is not clear if Americans are willing to adopt health insurance wellness programs based on wearables and the incentives with which they would be more willing to adopt. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study we used a survey methodology, usage vignettes and a dichotomous scale to examine U.S. residents' willingness to adopt wearables (WTAW) in six use-cases where it was mandatory to use a wearable device and share the resulting data with a health insurance company. Each use-case was tested also for the influence of additional economic incentives on WTAW. RESULTS: A total of 997 Americans across 46 states participated in the study. Most of them were 25 to 34 years old (40.22%), 57.27% were female, and 74.52% were white. On average, 69.5% of the respondents were willing to adopt health-insurance use-cases based on wearable devices, though 77.8% of them were concerned about issues related to economic benefits, data privacy and to a lesser extent, technological accuracy. WTAW was 11-18% higher among consumers in use-cases involving health promotion and disease prevention. Furthermore, additional economic incentives combined with wearables increased WTAW overall. Notably, financial incentives involving providing healthcare credits, insurance premium discount, and/or wellness product discounts had particularly greater effectiveness for increasing WTAW in the consumer use-cases involving participation: for health promotion (RR = 1.06 for financial incentive, 95% CI: 1.01-1.11; P = 0.018); for personalized products and services (RR = 1.11 for financial incentive, 95% CI: 1.01-1.21; P = 0.018); and for automated underwriting discount at annual renewal (RR = 1.28 for financial incentive, 95% CI: 1.20-1.37; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Under the adequate economic, data privacy and technical conditions, 2 out of 3 Americans would be willing to adopt health insurance wellness programs based on wearable devices, particularly if they have benefits related to health promotion and disease prevention, and particularly with financial incentives.Steele, J., et al.

Suchomel, T. J., et al. (2018). "The Importance of Muscular Strength: Training Considerations." Sports Med 48(4): 765-785.
This review covers underlying physiological characteristics and training considerations that may affect muscular strength including improving maximal force expression and time-limited force expression. Strength is underpinned by a combination of morphological and neural factors including muscle cross-sectional area and architecture, musculotendinous stiffness, motor unit recruitment, rate coding, motor unit synchronization, and neuromuscular inhibition. Although single- and multi-targeted block periodization models may produce the greatest strength-power benefits, concepts within each model must be considered within the limitations of the sport, athletes, and schedules. Bilateral training, eccentric training and accentuated eccentric loading, and variable resistance training may produce the greatest comprehensive strength adaptations. Bodyweight exercise, isolation exercises, plyometric exercise, unilateral exercise, and kettlebell training may be limited in their potential to improve maximal strength but are still relevant to strength development by challenging time-limited force expression and differentially challenging motor demands. Training to failure may not be necessary to improve maximum muscular strength and is likely not necessary for maximum gains in strength. Indeed, programming that combines heavy and light loads may improve strength and underpin other strength-power characteristics. Multiple sets appear to produce superior training benefits compared to single sets; however, an athlete's training status and the dose-response relationship must be considered. While 2- to 5-min interset rest intervals may produce the greatest strength-power benefits, rest interval length may vary based an athlete's training age, fiber type, and genetics. Weaker athletes should focus on developing strength before emphasizing power-type training. Stronger athletes may begin to emphasize power-type training while maintaining/improving their strength. Future research should investigate how best to implement accentuated eccentric loading and variable resistance training and examine how initial strength affects an athlete's ability to improve their performance following various training methods.

Touroutoglou, A., et al. (2020). "The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals." Cortex 123: 12-29.
Tenacity-persistence in the face of challenge-has received increasing attention, particularly because it contributes to better academic achievement, career opportunities and health outcomes. We review evidence from non-human primate neuroanatomy and structural and functional neuroimaging in humans suggesting that the anterior mid cingulate cortex (aMCC) is an important network hub in the brain that performs the cost/benefit computations necessary for tenacity. Specifically, we propose that its position as a structural and functional hub allows the aMCC to integrate signals from diverse brain systems to predict energy requirements that are needed for attention allocation, encoding of new information, and physical movement, all in the service of goal attainment. We review and integrate research findings from studies of attention, reward, memory, affect, multimodal sensory integration, and motor control to support this hypothesis. We close by discussing the implications of our framework for educational achievement, exercise and eating disorders, successful aging, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and dementia.

Umetani, K., et al. (1998). "Twenty-four hour time domain heart rate variability and heart rate: relations to age and gender over nine decades." J Am Coll Cardiol 31(3): 593-601.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to define the effects of age and gender effects on the normal range of time domain heart rate variability (HRV) over nine decades in healthy subjects. BACKGROUND: Low HRV is considered an independent marker of mortality risk. However, the age-related decline in HRV may limit its predictive value, particularly in the elderly. Delineation of the range of HRV in healthy subjects over the life span is needed. Gender-related differences in HRV also need clarification. METHODS: We determined, according to decade, 24-h heart rate (HR) and HRV of 260 healthy subjects (10 to 99 years old; 112 male, 148 female) by means of five standard time domain measures: standard deviation of all normal sinus RR intervals over 24 h (SDNN), standard deviation of the averaged normal sinus RR intervals for all 5-mm segments (SDANN), mean of the standard deviations of all normal sinus RR intervals for all 5-min segments (SDNN index), root-mean-square of successive normal sinus RR interval difference (rMSSD) and the percentage of successive normal sinus RR intervals >50 ms (pNN50). RESULTS: 1) HRV decreased with aging, the pattern of change being measure dependent. HRV (SDNN and SDANN) decreased only very gradually, reaching 60% of baseline (second-decade values) by the tenth decade. With the SDNN index, HRV decreased linearly with aging, reaching 46% of baseline by the tenth decade. Using pNN50 and rMSSD, HRV decreased most rapidly, reaching 24% and 47% of baseline, respectively, by the sixth decade and then stabilized. 2) Using the SDNN index, rMSSD and pNN50, HRV of subjects >65 years old fell below published cutpoints for increased risk of mortality in 25%, 12% and 4%, respectively. 3) At age <30 years, HRV for all measures was lower in female than male subjects. Gender differences decreased at age >30 years and disappeared at age >50 years. 4) HR also declined with aging but much more slowly. HR at age <50 years was faster in female than in male subjects. Gender differences disappeared thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Using all measures, HRV of healthy subjects declines with aging, with measure-dependent patterns. 2) Using the SDNN index, rMSSD and pNN50, HRV of healthy subjects, particularly those >65 years old, may decrease to below levels associated with increased risk of mortality. 3) Gender influences HRV. Gender differences in HRV are age and measure dependent. 4) Age and gender also affect heart rate.

Vavassori, R., et al. (2023). "The Perception of Volleyball Student-Athletes: Evaluation of Well-Being, Sport Workload, Players' Response, and Academic Demands." Healthcare (Basel) 11(11).
Physical activity has been shown to improve the health and well-being of students, athletes and the general population, especially when it is properly monitored and responses are evaluated. However, data are mostly gathered without considering a valuable element, participants' perceptions. Therefore, the objective was to know the perception of volleyball student-athletes when using different monitoring and response tools that assess well-being, workloads, responses to workloads, and academic demands. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with female volleyball student-athletes (n = 22) was used to know players' perceptions when using a wellness/well-being questionnaire, session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE), and countermovement jumps (CMJ), and consider academic demands. Results show that the wellness questionnaire and sRPE increased student-athletes' awareness of well-being and readiness to perform, improved self-evaluation, self-regulation, and self-demand. However, motivation and overcoming challenges were based on the CMJ. Academic demands affected 82% of student-athletes, altering stress, fatigue, and sleep quality. Nonetheless, sport was seen as an activity that helped with academic commitments. Therefore, the wellness questionnaires and the sRPE facilitated self-awareness and positive dispositions toward self-regulation. Simultaneous intensive academic demands and training can produce mutual positive effects if the variables of physical and mental loads are harmonized in the critical academic and sports periods.

Voss, A., et al. (2015). "Short-term heart rate variability--influence of gender and age in healthy subjects." PLoS One 10(3): e0118308.
In the recent years, short-term heart rate variability (HRV) describing complex variations of beat-to-beat interval series that are mainly controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) has been increasingly analyzed to assess the ANS activity in different diseases and under various conditions. In contrast to long-term HRV analysis, short-term investigations (<30 min) provide a test result almost immediately. Thus, short-term HRV analysis is suitable for ambulatory care, patient monitoring and all those applications where the result is urgently needed. In a previous study, we could show significant variations of 5-min HRV indices according to age in almost all domains (linear and nonlinear) in 1906 healthy subjects from the KORA S4 cohort. Based on the same group of subjects, general gender-related influences on HRV indices are to be determined in this study. Short-term 5-min HRV indices from linear time and frequency domain and from nonlinear methods (compression entropy, detrended fluctuation analysis, traditional and segmented Poincare plot analysis, irreversibility analysis, symbolic dynamics, correlation and mutual information analysis) were determined from 782 females and 1124 males. First, we examined the gender differences in two age clusters (25-49 years and 50-74 years). Secondly, we investigated the gender-specific development of HRV indices in five age decade categories, namely for ages 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65-74 years. In this study, significant modifications of the indices according to gender could be obtained, especially in the frequency domain and correlation analyses. Furthermore, there were significant modifications according to age in nearly all of the domains. The gender differences disappeared within the last two age decades and the age dependencies disappeared in the last decade. To summarize gender and age influences need to be considered when performing HRV studies even if these influences only partly differ.

Wilkes, J. R., et al. (2021). "Effects of sleep disturbance on functional and physiological outcomes in collegiate athletes: A scoping review." Sleep Med 81: 8-19.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate sleep disturbances and circadian timing changes on functional and physiological correlates specifically in collegiate athletes. DESIGN: Scoping Review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed MEDLINE, SPORT-Discus, CINAHL, ERIC ProQuest, Web of Science. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Articles in English, studying college athletes 18-24 years old, employing a sleep measurement, and a comparison measure of cognitive, academic performance, athletic performance, injury rate, biomarkers and physiological measures, or imaging. RESULTS: Thirty articles met inclusion criteria. There was wide range of study design, sport studied, modality used to measure sleep, frequency of sleep measurements, and functional and physiological outcomes across studies. Sleep measurements varied greatly in frequency of data collection and type of measurement tool, with the majority using a sleep questionnaire. While all variables of interest were represented within the review, most had a focus on cognitive performance, athletic performance, or injury rate as a function of sleep. Studies using biomarkers and physiological measures or imaging were largely underrepresented. Few studies used biomarkers and physiological measures, and one study used imaging measures. Most studies in this review reported negative cognitive and academic outcomes with worse sleep quality and quantity. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep is critical to maintaining optimal health and collegiate athletes represent a unique population given their unique time constraints, stresses, and sleep behaviors. Findings on athletic performance and injury rate as a function of sleep were mixed. Employing standardized objective methodologies in future work will allow for better understanding of the influence of sleep on the overall well-being and performance of college athletes.

Wood, A. M., et al. (2010). "Gratitude and well-being: a review and theoretical integration." Clin Psychol Rev 30(7): 890-905.
This paper presents a new model of gratitude incorporating not only the gratitude that arises following help from others but also a habitual focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life", incorporating not only the gratitude that arises following help from others, but also a habitual focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life. Research into individual differences in gratitude and well-being is reviewed, including gratitude and psychopathology, personality, relationships, health, subjective and eudemonic well-being, and humanistically orientated functioning. Gratitude is strongly related to well-being, however defined, and this link may be unique and causal. Interventions to clinically increase gratitude are critically reviewed, and concluded to be promising, although the positive psychology literature may have neglected current limitations, and a distinct research strategy is suggested. Finally, mechanisms whereby gratitude may relate to well-being are discussed, including schematic biases, coping, positive affect, and broaden-and-build principles. Gratitude is relevant to clinical psychology due to (a) strong explanatory power in understanding well-being, and (b) the potential of improving well-being through fostering gratitude with simple exercises.

Wood, A. M., et al. (2008). "The role of gratitude in the development of social support, stress, and depression: Two longitudinal studies." Journal of Research in Personality 42(4): 854-871.

Zambrano Garza, E., et al. (2023). "Time-Varying Daily Gratitude-Affect Links Across the Adult Lifespan." GeroPsych 36(2): 63-74.

Zeidan, F., et al. (2019). "The neural mechanisms of mindfulness-based pain relief: a functional magnetic resonance imaging-based review and primer." Pain Rep 4(4): e759.
The advent of neuroimaging methodologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), has significantly advanced our understanding of the neurophysiological processes supporting a wide spectrum of mind-body approaches to treat pain. A promising self-regulatory practice, mindfulness meditation, reliably alleviates experimentally induced and clinical pain. Yet, the neural mechanisms supporting mindfulness-based pain relief remain poorly characterized. The present review delineates evidence from a spectrum of fMRI studies showing that the neural mechanisms supporting mindfulness-induced pain attenuation differ across varying levels of meditative experience. After brief mindfulness-based mental training (ie, less than 10 hours of practice), mindfulness-based pain relief is associated with higher order (orbitofrontal cortex and rostral anterior cingulate cortex) regulation of low-level nociceptive neural targets (thalamus and primary somatosensory cortex), suggesting an engagement of unique, reappraisal mechanisms. By contrast, mindfulness-based pain relief after extensive training (greater than 1000 hours of practice) is associated with deactivation of prefrontal and greater activation of somatosensory cortical regions, demonstrating an ability to reduce appraisals of arising sensory events. We also describe recent findings showing that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, in meditation-naive individuals, are associated with lower pain and greater deactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex, a neural mechanism implicated in self-referential processes. A brief fMRI primer is presented describing appropriate steps and considerations to conduct studies combining mindfulness, pain, and fMRI. We postulate that the identification of the active analgesic neural substrates involved in mindfulness can be used to inform the development and optimization of behavioral therapies to specifically target pain, an important consideration for the ongoing opioid and chronic pain epidemic.