Basic motor skills are the basis for the formation and execution of movements that will be utilized throughout an individual’s lifetime, thus promoting their involvement and continued participation in physical activity. (1) Background: This study aimed to assess the impact of a physical education program, based on a model of structured and unstructured physical activity, on the motor development of kindergarten students at a private school for girls in Con Con, Chile. (2) Methods: Thirty-four female students were divided into two groups, one participated in structured physical activity and the other in unstructured physical activity, and both groups then underwent a 12-week intervention. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) was utilized to evaluate motor behaviors, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and relative frequencies. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare differences at the beginning and end of the intervention, while the Whitney–Mann U test was used to determine differences between groups. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the overall group when comparing the start and end of the intervention for total motor development (p = 0.001), locomotion skills (p = 0.018), and object control (p = 0.001). However, no significant differences were found between the two types of intervention activities. (4) Conclusions: This study suggests that both structured and unstructured physical activity interventions enhance overall motor development, particularly in the dimensions of locomotion and object control. The results indicate that unstructured physical activity interventions may lead to better outcomes in motor development tests compared to structured interventions.

Energy deficits are often observed in athletes, especially in female athletes, due to the high expenditure of sport and strict diets. Low energy availability can cause serious health problems and affect sport performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different personalized dietary plans on physiological and physical factors related to energy deficit syndrome in female professional handball players. Twenty-one professional female handball players, aged 22 ± 4 years, 172.0 ± 5.4 cm and 68.4 ± 6.7 kg, divided into three groups (FD: free diet; MD: Mediterranean diet; and AD: high antioxidant diet), participated in this 12-week randomized controlled trial. Energy expenditure through indirect calorimetry, energy availability, 7 day dietary intake analysis, blood pressure, cholesterol, menstrual function, body composition by both anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance, and strength performance were assessed. All participants showed low energy availability (< 30 kcal/lean mass per day); despite this, all had eumenorrhea. Significant improvements were found after the intervention in all components of body composition (p <0.05). In the remaining variables, despite slight improvements, none were significant neither over time nor between the different groups. Low energy availability has been observed in all professional female handball players, which may lead to serious consequences. A longer period of intervention is required to assess the differences between diets and improvements in other parameters.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar el efecto agudo de una sesión de Educación Física orientada a la meditación en los niveles de estrés en escolares de 8 a 12 años., Participaron 34 escolares chilenos, los cuales fueron divididos de manera aleatoria en un grupo experimental (n18) y un grupo control (n16). Durante una clase de Educación Física el grupo experimental realizó una sesión de meditación de mindfulness con una duración de 15 minutos, mientras el grupo de control hizo una encuesta de hábitos saludables en conducta sedentaria. El nivel de estrés se midió antes y después de la intervención con el Test Inventario de Estrés Cotidiano Infantil (IECI). Con la prueba de Shapiro Wilk se determinó la normalidad de los datos, la prueba t-Student para muestras relacionadas y la t-Student para muestras independientes se utilizaron para la comparación entre los grupos, con la g de Hedges se calculó el tamaño del efecto. El nivel de significancia se estableció en p<0,05. Se observó una baja del nivel total de estrés cotidiano con un efecto moderado en el grupo experimental (PRE: 7,22–POST: 6.17; P=0,037; TE=0,40), en el grupo control no se observaron efectos en el nivel de estrés (p>0,05) posterior a la intervención. Se concluye que una sesión de meditación de corta duración realizada durante la clase de Educación Física puede proporcionar una disminución en los niveles de estrés en escolares, aspecto a tener en cuenta a la hora de mejorar el aprendizaje en la escuela. Palabras claves: Estudiantes, mindfulness, aprendizaje, educación.  Abstract. The main objective of this research was to identify the acute effect of a meditation-oriented Physical Education session on stress levels in schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years, 34 Chilean schoolchildren participated, who were randomly divided into an experimental group (n18) and a control group (n16). During a Physical Education class, the experimental group carried out a 15-minute mindfulness meditation session, while the control group took a survey of healthy habits in sedentary behavior. Before and after the intervention the level of stress was measured with the Children’s Daily Stress Inventory Test (IECI). The Shapiro Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data, the t-Student test for related samples and the t-Student test for independent samples were used for comparison between groups, with the Cohen d test the effect size was calculated. The level of significance was established at p<0.05. A decrease in the total level of daily stress was observed with a moderate effect in the experimental group (PRE: 7.22 – POST: 6.17; P=0.037; TE=0.40), in the control group no effects were observed in the stress level (p>0.05) after the intervention. It is concluded that a short meditation session carried out during Physical Education class can provide a decrease in stress levels in schoolchildren, an aspect to be taken into account when improving learning at school. Keywords: Students, mindfulness, learning, education.

Beach handball is a sport that has seen an increase in the number of players in the last decade. The aim of the study was to evaluate the basic measures of body composition, maturation, performance outcomes and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet of professional beach handball players, as a function of category (junior vs. senior) and playing positions. Thirty-six professional beach handball players participated in the study: 18 seniors (age: 25.0 ± 5.19) and 18 juniors (age: 16.7 ± 0.46); Each player’s body composition and different sports performance variables were analysed using the CMJ test, the Abalakov test, the Yo-Yo Test IR1 and the handgrip test. The Mediterranean diet Adherence was analysed using the KIDMED questionnaire. Significant differences are observed for all performance variables, with the values of senior players being higher in all cases (p < 0.005). Moreover, the adherence to the Mediterranean diet is moderate. Positive correlations were observed between the CMJ and weight (p = 0.012) and the CMJ and the BMI (p = 0.003). The same was observed for the Abalakov test, with p = 0.004 for weight and p = 0.001 for the BMI. Regarding the dynamometry, it positively correlates with the height (p = 0.002), the sitting height (p = 0.008), wingspan (p < 0.001) and weight (p = 0.011). The opposite occurred with the Yo-Yo Test and the KIDMED variables. Conclusions: One aspect to improve, as a key performance factor, would be the adherence to the Mediterranean diet for both categories. Players with a better adherence, achieved better results in the performance tests.

Low energy availability may precede or be caused by cognitive disturbances in professional athletes. Related psychological problems include disordered eating patterns, body shape preoccupation, depression or anxiety. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of different personalised dietary plans on psychological factors in young professional female handball players with low energy availability. This 12-week randomised clinical trial involved 21 female players aged 22 ± 4 years, 172.0 ± 5.4 cm and 68.4 ± 6.7 kg divided into three groups (FD: free diet; MD: Mediterranean diet; HAD: high antioxidant diet). Eating behaviour (Eating Attitude Test, EAT-26: diet, bulimia and oral control subscales), body image (Body Shape Questionnaire, BSQ) and mood state (Profile of Mode State, POMS: tension, vigour, anger, depression, fatigue) were assessed. All participants showed low energy availability (<30 kcal/lean mass per day). The different plans showed no significant differences between them but significant differences over time within groups for the variables: body image, Tension, Vigour and Depression (p < 0.05). Eating behaviour improved slightly but did not show statistically significant changes. Following an adequate nutritional planning for athletes seems to improve the mood and body perception of young female handball players. A longer intervention period is required to assess the differences between diets and improvement of other parameters.