Human ageing involves several physiological impairments—in particular, a decrease in sensorimotor function and changes in the nervous system reduce muscle strength, power, balance, and functional capacity performance. Preventive strategies are essential to ensure the quality of life of the elderly. High-speed resistance training (HSRT) may be an effective approach to muscle power development in this population, with significant short-term effects on neural adaptations and muscle power production. Therefore, the present study intends to analyze and systematize the studies focused on HSRT interventions and their effects on health outcomes in independent older adults. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Scielo) were used for the purposes of searching randomized controlled trials that measured at least one key outcome measure focusing on velocity-based training and health outcomes in older adults on 7 March 2022 and identified 1950 studies. At the end of the process, fourteen studies were included in this systematic review and ten studies were included in the quantitative analysis. The main results showed that HSRT interventions would improve health measures, mostly cognitive function (large effects, p = 0.001, SMD = 0.94), neuromuscular function (moderate effects, p = 0.003, SMD = 0.70), and physical function (moderate effects, p = 0.04, SMD = 0.55 and p = 0.009, SMD = −0.59). Additionally, the results suggested that interventions with ten weeks or more, performed three times a week, provide significant improvements in neuromuscular function. In this sense, HSRT is effective for improving overall health outcomes in older adults. Future studies should include proper follow-ups (e.g., minimum six months) to assess the durability of HSRT intervention effects on all health-related variables.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant alterations to and implications for the lives of millions of people, and especially for those with pre-existing medical conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) throughout the first 9 months of the pandemic, with emphasis on the habits of physical exercise. We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. The data consist of telephone interviews of seventeen older people with T2DM (10 women and 7 men, aged 62–76 years). Using thematic analysis, five themes were generated: (1) an altered social and relational life; (2) changes in routine and attitude regarding physical activity behaviour; (3) home-related activities gained relevance; (4) health and well-being impact and management; and (5) thoughts about the post-pandemic period. The increase in the number of cases and the fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 limited the social (i.e., contact with family and/or friends) and functional (i.e., daily routine, the habit of exercising) lives of these people, reverberating negatively on their health and well-being. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, anxiety were common. The findings of this study help to better understand the impact of the pandemic and determine areas of need for future interventions. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to provide support for older people with T2DM and tackle the negative effect of the pandemic, including the reduction in physical activity.

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Diabetes is one of the most important chronic diseases that impact human health, and the total number of diabetes patients worldwide may rise to about 370 million in 2030 (170 million in 2000). Type 2 diabetes patients account for 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Previous literature reported that type 2 diabetes patients have lower quality of life (QoL) than those healthy persons and that a sedentary lifestyle is a modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes and an independent predictor of poor quality of life. When the physical activity is planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement performed to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness, it is a denominated physical exercise. Physical exercise has been effective by altering the body composition, glycemic control, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and mental and physical components of QoL. In this chapter, we also focus our attention on mental disorders. Depression and anxiety are the most common in those patients, which can lead to unfavorable influences on metabolic control and micro-and macrovascular complications compared to those with diabetes alone.

Background: This study aims to investigate the acute effects of an augmented reality session and a cycle ergometer session compared to no exercise on the reaction times, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency of older adults. Methods: Each participant did a familiarization with cognitive tests and the following three sessions: cycle ergometer, no exercise (control group), and augmented reality exergame (Portable Exergame Platform for Elderly) sessions. The participants were randomized in a within-group design into one of six possible combinations. Each moment had a 30 min duration, and after the session, the participants performed a Trail Making Test, a verbal fluency test, and a Deary–Liewald reaction time task. The data were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni adjustment. Results: The analysis between the no exercise, cycle ergometer, and augmented reality sessions showed no significant differences in the cognitive measurements. Conclusions: One session of the cycle ergometer exercise or the augmented reality exergames does not acutely improve the reaction times, cognitive flexibility, or verbal fluency in the elderly.