Home is the new gym: exergame as a potential tool to maintain adequate fitness levels also during quarantine
Purpose With the coronavirus outbreak, the preventive measures include staying at home and isolation, increasing sedentary behaviours and risk for worsening of chronic diseases To explore alternative forms of home based physical activity, the study aim was to evaluate physiological (heart rate [HR] respiratory exchange ratio [RER] oxygen consumption O2] energy expenditure [EE] metabolic equivalent task [MET] and psychological (session rating of perceived exertion [sRPE] enjoyment) parameters of real (Zumba(r) class [ZC] and exergame (Zumba(r) Fitness Rush [ZFR] activities in relation to sex Methods Overall, 12 female (age: 24 7 0 9 years) and 8 male (age: 25 3 2 1 years) college students randomly performed 2 experimental 60 min sessions, ZC and ZFR, during which HR (expressed as percentage of individual maximal HR %HRmax] O2, RER, MET and EE were measured After each session, sRPE and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) were used to monitor exercise intensity and enjoyment, respectively Results Main effects for sex (p 0 02) and modality (p 0 0001) emerged for %HRmax, with women showing higher values than men and ZC showing higher values than ZFR EE presented main effects for sex (p 0 0001) and modality (p 0 0002) with higher values in men and in ZC Main effect (p 0 0001) for modality emerged also for O2 and MET, with higher values in ZC regardless of sex No significant differences were observed for RER, sRPE, or PACES Conclusions Although ZC elicited higher cardiovascular and metabolic responses, ZFR, classified as a moderate to vigorous activity, could be used to maintain regular physical activity in a safe home environment during the coronavirus crisis (c) University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw