The Rebooting in Sports and Physical Activities After COVID-19 Italian Lockdown: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The lockdown imposed in Italy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 posited unusual challenges to people practicing sports and physical activities. The rebooting of activities highlighted the need to cope with new behaviors and routines, such as wearing a face mask while exercising. We conducted a web-based survey in Italy at the start of physical activities’ rebooting, to investigate how people reacted to the new norms. Participants completed the questionnaires assessing insomnia, regulatory self-efficacy, optimism, mood states, and mental toughness. Age, gender, and environment were assumed as design variables. Results showed that in outdoor activities, the younger females as compared to the older manifest less regulatory self-efficacy, while the younger males manifest more regulatory self-efficacy than the older. In indoor activities, a reversed pattern of regulatory-self-efficacy was observed. Regarding life orientation, younger participants showed less optimism and positive expectation for the future and seem to be more exposed to the unexpected effects of the restrictions: they showed more sleep disturbances, confusion, depression, anger, and fatigue and less vigor and mental toughness than older participants. An understanding of the psychological implications of the rebooting phase can support the enactment of more appropriate behaviors to practice sports and physical activities when living at the time of the coronavirus.

Variations in the Mood States during the Different Phases of COVID-19’s Lockdown in Young Athletes

“…At the same time, vigor, a positive factor, increased its value in relation to weeks 1 and 6. This trend towards improvement in mood behavior is shared by the study of Mehrsafar et al [24], carried out in Iranian participants, and the study of Guicciardi and Pazzona [25], carried out in a sample of the Italian population. Furthermore, they point out that understanding the psychological implications of the restart phase can help to adopt appropriate behaviors for practicing sports in the COVID-19 situation.…”

Fitness and the Crisis: Impacts of COVID-19 on Active Living and Life Satisfaction in Austria

“…Although regular physical activity is essential for public health and mental well-being, many questions arose during the COVID-19 crisis concerning the risks of fitness-related activities in public areas and indoor sports facilities, mainly due to the perceived and actual infection risk. Guicciardi et al proposed that fear of possible infection in indoor areas was the main reason for changed sports behavior in indoor facilities [ 30 ]. However, national customs along with governmental restrictions and lockdowns might impact sports behavior even more radically, arguing for an evaluation of national public perceptions not ultimately transferrable to other settings.…”

“…The current virus outbreak has forced us to think about the risks of future pandemics or other global crises, and how we may increase our resilience to withstand their short-, medium- and longer-term impacts in all areas of social life. Lockdowns, social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, home schooling, teleshopping, and teleworking during a pandemic contradict an active lifestyle, and are likely to contribute to physical inactivity [ 10 , 12 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 30 , 36 , 41 ], and subsequently in lower life satisfaction [ 19 , 20 ]. Combining the need for novel routines in active living in view of closed fitness facilities with a new awareness for the value of urban and rural green areas, life satisfaction could be eventually restored to a pre-pandemic level.…”

“…The detailed types and intensity of physical exercise were beyond the scope of this assessment, mainly focusing on the shift of modes of activity from indoor to outdoor environments. However, there is abundant evidence that all levels of physical activity ranging from low to high decreased due to COVID-19 home confinement, while sedentariness increased [ 10 , 12 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 30 , 36 , 41 ].…”

Changes in Eating Habits and Physical Activity after COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns in Italy

“…From 6 August 2021, normal activities gradually returned, especially for vaccinated persons with a green pass [4]. The reactivation of activities showed the necessity to deal with new routines and habits [5]. Some studies have shown favorable changes in individuals' eating habits, with an increase in the number of meals prepared and consumed at home [3][4][5].…”