Hurry, join an online fitness class and stay in shape! A recent study showed that supervised online exercise classes are even more effective than in-person supervised classes.
This surprising result is from a study by Brazilian scientists at the São Paulo Research Foundation. They studied the physical and mental health of 344 volunteers during the pandemic. A group of sedentary subjects were used as controls.
Online Supervised Classes More Effective
The study looked at three types of classes: 1) an in-person class led by a fitness instructor, 2) an online class with an instructor but no supervision, and 3) an online class led by an instructor.
The researchers found that classes supervised by an instructor, both in-person and online, had the strongest effects on physical and mental health. The researchers think the presence of supervision by an instructor helped increased the intensity of the training over time.
The surprise result was that remotely supervised sessions were more effective than face-to-face sessions.
Reasons Unknown
It’s unknown why supervised online exercise sessions were more effective than in-person exercise sessions. One theory is that wearing masks might have hindered the performance of the volunteers during the pandemic.
Another theory is that volunteers in the online sessions may have been more motivated because they did not need to wear masks. This helped them feel free to increase the intensity of the exercises safely, without risking injury or discomfort.
Get Fit Now!
To survey the volunteer’s physical and mental health, the researchers used online questionnaires known as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale – Self-Rated (MADRS-S).
The results were published in journal Psychiatry Research.
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: During the pandemic, you can keep fit by taking online exercises course that are supervised by an instructor. It’s even more effective than in-person sessions, according to a recent study. So there’s no more excuse, get registered and exercise now!
Journal Source: Psychiatry Research
Can remotely supervised exercise positively affect self-reported depressive symptoms and physical activity levels during social distancing?
