Wearing face masks is recommended for the prevention of contracting or exposing others to cardiorespiratory infections, such as COVID-19. Controversy exists on whether wearing face masks during vigorous exercise affects performance. We used a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over design to evaluate the effects of wearing a surgical mask, a cloth mask, or no mask in 14 participants (7 men and 7 women; 28.2 ± 8.7 y) during a cycle ergometry test to exhaustion. Arterial oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry) and tissue oxygenation index (indicator of hemoglobin saturation/desaturation) at vastus lateralis (near-infrared spectroscopy) were assessed throughout the exercise tests. Wearing face masks had no effect on performance (time to exhaustion (mean ± SD): no mask 622 ± 141 s, surgical mask 657 ± 158 s, cloth mask 637 ± 153 s (p = 0.20); peak power: no mask 234 ± 56 W, surgical mask 241 ± 57 W, cloth mask 241 ± 51 W (p = 0.49)). When expressed relative to peak exercise performance, no differences were evident between wearing or not wearing a mask for arterial oxygen saturation, tissue oxygenation index, rating of perceived exertion, or heart rate at any time during the exercise tests. Wearing a face mask during vigorous exercise had no discernable detrimental effect on blood or muscle oxygenation, and exercise performance in young, healthy participants (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04557605).

University students are a vulnerable group for poor dietary intake, insufficient physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on university students’ dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Participants were students (n=125) from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina. An online questionnaire was administered retrospectively (for pre-pandemic) and prospectively (during the pandemic) to examine students’ dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Overall, nutrient and caloric intakes were significantly reduced (p<0.05) during the pandemic, and alcohol intake increased (p=0.03). Before the pandemic, 16% and 54% of the participants were meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults (18–64 years) of 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity and 8 hours or less of sedentary activity respectively. Only 10% met the guidelines for physical activity while 30% met the guidelines for sedentary behaviour during the pandemic. The minutes per week spent engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the pandemic decreased by approximately 20% (p<0.001). The hours spent in sedentary activities increased by 3 hours per day (p<0.001). Our findings confirm that during the pandemic, students’ inadequate dietary intake, high alcohol consumption, low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour were significantly compounded. Novelty • During COVID-19, the nutrient and caloric intakes of university students decreased, and alcohol intake increased significantly. • University students’ physical activity levels decreased, and sedentary activity increased significantly during COVID-19. • During COVID-19 students did not engage in sufficient physical activity to offset the increased sedentary behaviour.

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Background: Aerobic exercise is recommended for reducing blood pressure; however, recent studies indicate that stretching may also be effective. The authors compared 8 weeks of stretching versus walking exercise in men and women with high–normal blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension (ie, 130/85–159/99 mm Hg). Methods: Forty men and women (61.6 y) were randomized to a stretching or brisk walking exercise program (30 min/d, 5 d/wk for 8 wk). Blood pressure was assessed during sitting and supine positions and for 24 hours using a portable monitor before and after the training programs. Results: The stretching program elicited greater reductions than the walking program (P < .05) for sitting systolic (146 [9] to 140 [12] vs 139 [9] to 142 [12] mm Hg), supine diastolic (85 [7] to 78 [8] vs 81 [7] to 82 [7] mm Hg), and nighttime diastolic (67 [8] to 65 [10] vs 68 [8] to 73 [12] mm Hg) blood pressures. The stretching program elicited greater reductions than the walking program (P < .05) for mean arterial pressure assessed in sitting (108 [7] to 103 [6] vs 105 [6] vs 105 [8] mm Hg), supine (102 [9] to 96 [9] vs 99 [6] to 99 [7] mm Hg), and at night (86 [9] to 83 [10] vs 88 [9] to 93 [12] mm Hg). Conclusions: An 8-week stretching program was superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in individuals with high–normal blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension.

Background: The number of Masters-level athletes (≥ 35 years of age) taking part in cycling has increased in the past years which may have beneficial effects on their health. The restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to negatively impact the diet, training and fitness of these individuals due to restrictions in place to slow the spread of the virus. Aim: To investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the diet, training and fitness of Masters-level cyclists. Methods: 32 Masters cyclists (12 males, 20 females; mean age 47 ± 10 years) completed two incremental exercise tests one month apart during the pandemic to assess sport-specific fitness. Participants also completed online questionnaires to report their sedentary behavior and dietary intake before and during the pandemic, and their training volume and intensity for a specified week in February (before the pandemic) and each of March, April and May (during the pandemic). Results: No differences were seen in fitness ( p = 0.6), training volume ( p = 0.24) or intensity ( p = 0.79) and sedentary behavior ( p = 0.14) during the pandemic. Energy intake was unchanged ( p = 1.0) during the pandemic, but participants consumed lower amounts of key nutrients such as fiber, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids and potassium ( p < 0.05) while consuming more alcohol ( p = 0.008) and vitamin C ( p = 0.03). Conclusions: Our data shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has undesirable effects on nutrient and alcohol intake of Masters cyclists without impacting their training regimes, which may have adverse effects on their overall health and fitness in the long term.