Physical activity of polish seniors during lifetime

The level of physical activity of the Polish seniors has been defined in accordance with Grimba’s scale of everyday activity. The examined people declared a level of activity in the past and present. The research was conducted in the period from 1999 to 2013. It involved 2494 respondents aged 65–103, including 1426 women and 1068 men – from all over Poland. The research results: The collected material was divided into 6 age groups, every 5 years. In all of the analysed age groups men declared more intensive physical activity than women of the same age. The differences between arithmetic means of the declared physical activity in all age groups are not statistically relevant. Conclusions: There is a necessity to search for effective programmes to promote physical activity and to create intervention programmes in order to improve the level of physical activity of elderly people

Course participants’ expectations regarding fitness instructors’ professional competences

Prezentowana publikacja dotyczy wybranych zagadnień związanych z kulturą fizyczną i zdrowotną współczesnego człowieka. Autorzy – specjaliści z zakresu pedagogiki, nauk medycznych i nauk o kulturze fizycznej – podejmują m.in. problematykę wartości kultury fizycznej w procesie kształcenia i wychowania, współczesnych czynników promocji zdrowia i edukacji zdrowotnej, zdrowotnych uwarunkowań aktywności ruchowej czy społecznych kontekstów idei olimpijskiej. Tematyka ta wpisuje się w ważny nurt rozważań, w którym poszukuje się nowych rozwiązań pedagogicznych, zwłaszcza w odniesieniu do idei edukacji olimpijskiej i zdrowotnej.Purpose of the study: Establishing a model of professional competences of fitness instructors, running choreographic classes with music, based on the courses’ participants’ opinions depending on their training period. Research material and method: The respondents were clients of four fitness clubs in Poznań. The research material consisted of two groups: the participants with the training period in a fitness club shorter than 3 months (n = 75) and with the training period longer than half a year (n = 80). The research method was a diagnostic survey and a questionnaire was a research tool. Conclusions: The most essential fitness instructor’s trait, from the participants’ point of view, is motivating to physical effort, an ability to create a friendly atmosphere, warmth, a sense of humour, providing good energy. The training period slightly influences the practitioners’ expectations related to the instructors’ competences

The level of fundamental qualities of somatic structure and physical fitness of young classical dancers in comparison to their peers practising acrobatic gymnastics – a comparative analysis

Classical (academic) dance, colloquially called ballet, is associated with subtlety and incredible grace of movement. Despite the fact that there has been ages from the creation of ballet, the undoubted beauty and airiness of the forms presented by the dancers make ballet still very popular throughout the world. Ballet is a kind of theatrical show with such fundamental elements as music, choreography and movement. Considering a ballet performance (obviously in a great simplification) and analysing it solely and exclusively within the aforementioned elements, it may be assumed that there is a parallel between the elements of classical dance and an acrobatic routine presented during competitions. Music, choreography and movement are essential in acrobatics as well. The aim of this study is to compare the level of somatic qualities (body height and weight) and the characteristics of fundamental qualities of physical fitness (agility, strength, flexibility, liveliness) of ballet dancers, as well as presenting their results in comparison to dancers’ peers practising acrobatic gymnastics. The results of the analysis indicate that dancers are significantly taller than acrobats also when compared to the standards described in Drozdowski’s „Dzieci Polski Zachodniej”. The adopted assumption of a lower level of general physical fitness of classical dancers in comparison to acrobats has been confirmed. At the same time, in an attempt to measure the flexibility of the body, a statistical difference has been observed within a group of 12-year old girls only

The assessment of changes of the results in the 30-second chair stand and 8-foot up-and-go tests within women over the age of sixty, participating in the gymnastics class. A pilot study

The ageing process leads to irreversible changes within the functioning of the whole human organism. One of the problems which the seniors have to face is sarcopenia, that is a progressive loss of the skeletal muscles mass, which results in the loss of strength. Regularly performed physical exercises may significantly slow down this process and even cause muscle hypertrophy. A 13-week programme of the shaping gymnastic exercises has been drawn up to improve the strength of the lower body muscles. 25 women aged 60–81 took part in this programme. Strength of the lower limbs and dynamic agility have been assessed relying on the 30-second chair stand and 8-foot up-and-go Fullerton tests. The results of the statistical analysis indicate the growth of strength of the lower muscles on average by 24% and the dynamic agility by 6%. The improved muscle persistence has also been observed – at the end of the cycle of research the group has achieved better results in the post-workout attempts than in the pre-workout ones. The shaping gymnastic exercises regularly performed by women over the age of sixty improve the strength of lower limb muscles, dynamic agility and muscle persistence

Raman optical activity of cinchona alkaloids

Four common cinchona alkaloids, i.e. quinine, quinidine, cinchonine and cinchonidine, were studied by Raman spectroscopy to show differences between corresponding pairs of pseudoenantiomers. Single spectra of the alkaloids measured with excitation at 532 and 1064 nm exhibit similar pattern and cannot be used for fast and reliable differentiation between the compounds. However, Raman Optical Activity (ROA) method applied to study aqueous solution of the alkaloids showed distinct differences between the compounds related to the absolute configuration at chiral atoms. It allowed unequivocal identification of the pseudoenantiomers on the basis of the sign of characteristic bands from a single measurement. The most important bands in Raman and ROA spectra were assigned according to literature. The work presented here shows for the first time ROA analysis of cinchona alkaloids and its powerfulness for investigation of chiral compounds that show similar Raman spectra

The Impact of 12-Week Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics Programme on the Dynamic Agility in Single-Dual-Task Conditions in Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Progressive degenerative changes in the body of elderly people lead to a decrease in physical and mental fitness. Seniors have a problem with performing tasks that involve both physical and mental health at the same time. The risk of falls increases, the consequences of which in old age may be particularly dangerous. It was decided to investigate the impact of performing exercises involving both physical and mental spheres on the dynamic agility in older women. Methods. 73 women (69.9±3.2) were divided into two groups: intervention (IG, n=34) and control (CG, n=39). Individuals with IG participated in the Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics exercise programme for 12 weeks, twice a week for 45 minutes each. Dynamic agility was determined by the Timed Up and Go test, which was conducted both in single-task (TUG_ST) and dual-task (TUG_DT) conditions, where the participant was simultaneously counting down from 60 every 3. The percentage difference between the results of both tests (dual-task cost, DTC) was also determined. Both groups had two measurement sessions: one week before the start of the exercise programme and one week after the end of exercise programme. Results. After 12 weeks of exercise, IG participants obtained significantly better results in TUG_DT (p<0.001) and DTC (p=0.003) tests. During this time, CG participants had significantly worse results in TUG_DT (p<0.001) and DTC (p<0.001) tests. In the TUG_ST test, neither IG nor CG achieved a significant change in the result. In each test, a significant interaction between the group assignment and the measurement session was observed: TUG_ST: F=11.523, η2P=0.139, p=0.001; TUG_DT: F=60.227, η2P=0.458, p<0.001; DTC: F=32.382, η2P=0.313, p<0.001. Conclusion. JDE exercises with a frequency of twice a week, for about 12 weeks, have a significant impact on the improvement of the dynamic agility control in women over 65 years of age