Meet the experts: Simone Porcelli talks physical activity
Dr. Simone Procelli is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the National Research Council (CNR-ITB), Italy. In NESTORE, he is the expert for physical activity. He answers our questions.
As an expert, what is your role in the project?
It is well known that regular exercise helps to improve several physiological functions in healthy adults. Moreover, being physically active can also reverse some effects of ageing as well as keep older people mobile and independent. As a physiologist and a medical doctor, my role in the project is to provide the consortium the fundamental knowledge about the adaptations of physiological systems occurring with ageing and suggest the best coaching interventions to modify users’ physical activity habits in order to leave them healthy and change the ageing-related decline towards frailty and illness. Lastly, I contributed to setup the study design and the experimental setting of the pilot study.
What would be the main benefits of using NESTORE?
Literature reveals that multi-domain lifestyle interventions are more effective than mono-domain interventions for several outcomes related to health of elderly people and adherence to a healthy lifestyle may directly protect against cognitive decline or may prevent diseases. However, multi-domain intervention strategies are usually difficult to be integrated at an optimal level into the daily regime of healthy older individuals. NESTORE tries to overcome this issue by coaching users from different aspects (i.e., healthy diet, physical exercises, cognitive training, and social activities) and suggesting them different activities by a feasible, cost-effective, and engaging approach. All activities suggested are driven from both a strong scientific background and an evidence-based approach to provide the users the best support for his/her change toward a healthier lifestyle.
How do you think digital technologies will change the practice of healthcare professionals in your field of expertise?
In the last years, technology has been integrated in the society as an aid to healthy lifestyles and several fitness and health-related apps have been developed. I think this is an interesting solution that increases people practicing physical activity and makes a healthy lifestyle easier than ever before. Indeed, people can practice physical activity everywhere and carry these technologies always with you. Moreover, some of these apps can easily track and visualise individual progress and let people choose among a wide range of workouts, allowing for increased freedom and keeping user motivation high.
In this context, NESTORE has some specific and innovative features for the physical domain: coaching activities are suggested in relation to individual physical performance level, users can adapt exercise prescription in relation to his/her willingness and habits, and training plans are specifically addressed to healthy elderly.
Read Dr. Simone Porcelli's publications
Read PhD Noemi Boqué Terré's interview, our expert in nutrition
Read Dr. Christina Röcke's interview, our expert in cognition and social relations
