RESUMO OBJETIVO: Embora o relaxamento seja recomendado como terapia complementar no tratamento da hipertensão, seus efeitos na modulação autonômica cardiovascular ainda não estão claros. O objetivo desse trabalho foi investigar os efeitos do relaxamento na modulação autonômica cardíaca de indivíduos hipertensos. MÉTODOS: Este estudo aleatorizado e controlado foi realizado no Laboratório de Hemodinâmica da Escola de Educação Física e Esporte da Universidade de São Paulo/Brasil. Dezesseis hipertensos (6-mulheres) e 14 normotensos controle (6-mulheres) não-obesos participaram de 2 sessões aleatórias: relaxamento (R) e controle (C). Os participantes permaneceram supinos por 55 minutos após as intervenções. Eletrocardiograma, pressão arterial batimento a batimento, e respiração foram adquiridos durante e após as intervenções para a posterior análise espectral autorregressiva das variabilidades do intervalo R-R e da pressão arterial. RESULTADOS: Hipertensos e normotensos apresentaram respostas semelhantes de modulação autonômica cardíaca durante e após as sessões experimentais. Durante o relaxamento, a baixa frequência e o equilíbrio simpatovagal da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca estavam significantemente mais baixas no R do que no repouso supino em C. Quinze minutos após a intervenção a baixa frequência e o equilíbrio simpatovagal ainda estavam inferiores em R do que em C, o que ocorreu também nos 35 minutos, mas não aos 55 minutos. A variabilidade da pressão arterial foi semelhante entre as sessões. CONCLUSÃO: O relaxamento savasana reduz a modulação autonômica simpática cardíaca de hipertensos; essa redução perdura por pelo menos 35 minutos após o término do relaxamento e não é prejudicada nos hipertensos quando comparados com normotensos. Dessa forma, o relaxamento savasana tem efeitos positivos na modulação autonômica cardíaca de hipertensos e pode ser incluído como estratégia para o tratamento não-medicamentoso da hipertensão arterial.

OBJECTIVE: Although relaxation is recommended as complementary therapy for hypertension, its post-intervention cardiovascular autonomic effects are unclear. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of savasana relaxation on cardiovascular autonomic modulation in hypertensive patients. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was performed at the Hemodynamic Laboratory of the Physical Education School of the University of São Paulo/Brazil. Sixteen hypertensive (6-women) and 14 normotensive patients (6-women) non-obese subjects participated in 2 random sessions: savasana relaxation and control. Patients remained supine for 55 min after interventions. Electrocardiogram, beat-to-beat blood pressure and respiration were acquired during and after interventions for posterior autoregressive spectral analysis of the R-R interval and blood pressure variability. RESULTS: Hypertensive and normotensive patients presented similar cardiac autonomic modulation responses during and after experimental sessions. During relaxation, low frequency and sympathovagal balance were significantly lower in the Relaxation sessions than during supine rest in the Control sessions. Fifteen minutes after interventions, low frequency and sympathovagal balance were still lower in Relaxation than in Control, and remained lower for 35 min; at 55 min, the variables were similar between sessions. Systolic blood pressure variability did not differ among sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Savasana Relaxation decreases cardiac sympathetic autonomic modulation after its performance in hypertensive patients; this reduction lasts at least 35 minutes and is not blunted in hypertensive patients when compared to normotensive controls. Thus, savasana relaxation has positive effects on cardiac autonomic modulation of hypertensive patients, and may be included as a strategy for the non-drug treatment of hypertension.

INTRODUÇÃO: O exercício aeróbio é recomendado para o tratamento da hipertensão. Sua intensidade pode ser prescrita com base na porcentagem da frequência cardíaca máxima (%FCmáx) ou no consumo pico de oxigênio (%VO2pico) em que os limiares ventilatórios (LV) são alcançados. Entretanto, alguns hipertensos que iniciam o treinamento podem estar tomando betabloqueadores, o que pode influenciar esses parâmetros. OBJETIVO: verificar os efeitos do atenolol sobre os LV de hipertensos sedentários. MÉTODOS: Nove voluntários realizaram dois testes ergoespirométricos máximos após quatro semanas de tratamento com atenolol (25 mg administrado por via oral duas vezes por dia) e com placebo, administrados em ordem fixa e de forma cega. Durante os testes, a frequência cardíaca (FC), a pressão arterial (PA) e o VO2 no repouso, limiar anaeróbio (LA), ponto de compensação respiratória (PCR) e pico do esforço foram analisados. RESULTADOS: O VO2 aumentou progressivamente no exercício e seus valores foram semelhantes nos dois tratamentos. A PA sistólica e a FC também aumentaram no exercício, mas seus valores absolutos foram significativamente menores com o atenolol. Porém, o aumento da PA sistólica e da FC no exercício foi semelhante com os dois tratamentos. Assim, o percentual da FCmáx e o percentual do VO2pico em que LA e PCR foram alcançados não diferiram entre o placebo e o atenolol. CONCLUSÃO: O atenolol na dosagem de 50 mg/dia não afetou o percentual do VO2pico e da FCmáx em que os LV são atingidos, o que confirma que a prescrição de intensidade de treinamento com base nessas porcentagens pode ser mantida em hipertensos que recebem betabloqueadores.

INTRODUCTION: Aerobic exercise is recommended for the treatment of hypertension. Its intensity can be prescribed based on the percentage of maximum heart rate (% MHR) or peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak%) in which the ventilatory thresholds (VT) are achieved. However, some hypertensive patients who begin aerobic training may be receiving beta-blockers, which can influence these parameters. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of atenolol on VT of sedentary hypertensive patients. METHODS: Nine volunteers performed two cardiopulmonary exercise tests until exhaustion after 4 weeks of treatment with atenolol (25 mg orally twice daily) and with placebo, administered in a fixed order and in a blinded manner. During the tests, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), VO2 at rest, anaerobic threshold (AT), respiratory compensation point (RCP) and peak effort were analyzed. RESULTS: VO2 increased progressively throughout the exercise and the values were similar for both treatments. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate also increased progressively during the exercise, but their absolute values were significantly lower with atenolol. However, the increase in systolic BP and HR during exercise was similar in both treatments. Thus, the % of MHR and %VO2peak at which LA and PCR were achieved were not different between placebo and atenolol. CONCLUSION: Atenolol, at a dosage of 50mg/day, did not affect the % of VO2peak and % of MHR corresponding to the VTs, which confirms that prescription of training intensity based on these percentages is adequate to hypertensive patients receiving beta-blockers.

A inatividade física é fortemente relacionada à incidência e severidade de um vasto número de doenças crônicas. Assim sendo, o exercício físico torna-se uma das ferramentas terapêuticas mais importantes na promoção de saúde e o profissional de Educação Física, o responsável por sua ampla disseminação. Nesse artigo, discorremos sobre as seguintes questões: Qual o impacto - biológico e socioeconômico - da inatividade física na saúde dos indivíduos?; 2) Qual o impacto da inserção da atividade física vida dos indivíduos?; 3) Qual o papel da profissional de Educação Física na promoção de saúde e quais os desafios que a Educação Física, enquanto ciência ("lato sensu") e profissão, deve enfrentar nas próximas décadas? Tendo como ponto de partida o papel da inatividade física sobre a etiologia das doenças crônicas, pretendemos revelar o imenso potencial do exercício físico como agente terapêutico.

Physical inactivity is strongly related to the incidence and severity of a number of chronic diseases. Hence, physical exercise emerges as one of the most important therapeutic tool to health promotion, with the Physical Education professional being the responsible for disseminating it widely. In this manuscript, we will discuss the following questions: 1) What is the social and biological impact of physical inactivity on overall health? 2) What is the impact of physical activity on people's lives? 3) What is the role of the Physical Education professional in the promotion of health and what are the challenges that Physical Education Discipline, as a science ("lato sensu") and profession, will face in the next decades? Having in mind the role of physical inactivity upon the etiology of chronic diseases, we intend to reveal the large potential of physical exercise as a therapeutic agent.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported the phenomenon of post-exercise hypotension. However, the factors that cause this drop in blood pressure after a single exercise session are still unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on the acute blood pressure response and to investigate the indicators of autonomic activity after exercise. METHODS: Ten male subjects (aged 25 ± 1 years) underwent four experimental exercise sessions and a control session on a cycle ergometer. The blood pressure and heart rate variability of each subject were measured at rest and at 60 min after the end of the sessions. RESULTS: Post-exercise hypotension was not observed in any experimental sessions (P > 0.05). The index of parasympathetic neural activity, the RMSSD, only remained lower than that during the pre-exercise session after the high-intensity session (Δ = -19 ± 3.7 for 15-20 min post-exercise). In addition, this value varied significantly (P < 0.05) between the high- and low-intensity sessions (Δ = -30.7 ± 4.0 for the high intensity session, and Δ = -9.9 ± 2.5 for the low intensity session). CONCLUSION: The present study did not find a reduction in blood pressure after exercise in normotensive, physically active young adults. However, the measurements of the indicators of autonomic neural activity revealed that in exercise of greater intensity the parasympathetic recovery tends to be slower and that sympathetic withdrawal can apparently compensate for this delay in recovery.

OBJECTIVE: Physical exercise helps to prevent cardiovascular disorders. Campaigns promoting exercise have taken many people to the parks of our city. The most appropriate exercise for preventing cardiovascular disorders is the aerobic modality; inappropriate exercise acutely increases cardiovascular risk, especially in individuals at higher risk. Therefore, assessing the cardiovascular risk of these individuals and their physical activities is of practical value. METHODS: In the Parque Fernando Costa, we carried out the project "Exercício e Coração" (Exercise and Heart) involving 226 individuals. Assessment of the cardiovascular risk and of the physical activity practiced by the individuals exercising at that park was performed with a questionnaire and measurement of the following parameters: blood pressure, weight, height, and waist/hip ratio. The individuals were lectured on the benefits provided by exercise and how to correctly exercise. Each participant received a customized exercise prescription. RESULTS: In regard to risk, 43% of the individuals had health problems and 7% of the healthy individuals had symptoms that could be attributed to heart disorders. High blood pressure was observed in a large amount of the population. In regard to the adequacy of the physical activity, the individuals exercised properly. The project was well accepted, because the participants not only appreciated the initiative, but also reported altering their exercise habits after taking part in the project. CONCLUSION: Data obtained in the current study point to the need to be more careful in assessing the health of individuals who exercise at parks, suggesting that city parks should have a sector designated for assessing and guiding physical activity.