AB1659-PARE A HEART FOR WARM WATER
Authors: O. M. Wold
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Rheumatic disease and musculoskeletal disorders are a major challenge for public health and a significant burden on the individual. With well over a million in this group, the Norwegian Rheumatism Association is an important public health facilitator who works to ensure that as many of these as possible have a good quality of life. Physical fitness consists of performance-related and health-related physical fitness, and for general health, health-related physical fitness is the most important. Health-related form consists of several components, and the most important for general health, and perhaps the most central is cardiorespiratory endurance. One of the best indicators of cardiorespiratory endurance is maximum oxygen uptake, which is also an important indicator of cardiovascular disease in people [1]. Endurance training with high-intensity interval training is a type of training that has a positive effect by increasing our oxygen uptake. Oxygen uptake is related to cardiovascular health and an improvement/increase in this uptake is strongly associated with a reduced risk profile [2]. Simply explained, training with high intensity in a form of endurance training will reduce the risk of getting a type of cardiovascular disease. <h3>Objectives:</h3> This project will develop a high-intensity training program in warm water for people with rheumatic disease and musculoskeletal disorders. The program will highlight high-intensity training in water and how it affects the risk of cardiovascular disease. <h3>Methods:</h3> Stage one; gather a project group of peer supporters, physicians, exercise experts and others to develop an exercise program for eight weeks. Stage two; Pilot testing of the exercise program in a group of people with rheumatic disease. The participants accepted to use heartrate monitors on their hand and chest to monitor heart rate in every exercise session. The participants were to participate two times per week and the exercise program consisted of a warmup, high intensity interval endurance exercise, and some strength endurance at the end. The participants conducted a walking test in water, physical activity level, resting heart rate and were instructed to use their watch for the whole period. Stage three; evaluate, change, and apply information to the main study. <h3>Results:</h3> The training program was conducted of a total of eight participants. All participants finished pre walking test and post walking test for walking in water. After eight weeks of pilot six out of 8 improved their results in the walking test. Five of eight participants had a lower maximum heartrate post walking test, and four of eight had a lover resting heartrate one minute posttest compared to the pre walking test results. Four of the participants lowered their resting heart rate, two of the participants reduced weight and several increased their self-reported VO2-max from a digital calculator test after 8 weeks of exercise. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> The project has given us new, exciting, and better quality in exercise and information about high-intensity interval exercise. We are happy that the participants have experienced improvement in quality of life, function, and self-perceived physical form. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] Serna, Velez, Arias, &amp; Feito. (2016). Effects of a high-intensity interval training program versus a moderate-intensity continuous training program on maximal oxygen uptake and blood pressure in healthy adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. [2] Sveaas, Berg, Provan, Semb, Hagen, Vøllestad, Dagfinrud. (2014). Efficacy of high intensity exercise on disease activity and cardiovascular risk in active axial spondyloarthritis: a randomized controlled pilot study. <i>PLoS One</i>. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> We would like to acknowledge all the participants and involved in this project. <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared.</b>