The teams from Miranda do Douro and Macedo de Cavaleiros were present, last Wednesday, at the IPB Field, in the second stage of the National Walking Football Circuit. The modality, aimed at people over 50, encourages social interaction and promotes an active life, and is increasingly recognized for its importance in promoting well-being and longevity.
Integrated into the “New Long-Living Societies” (NSL) project, developed by the Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), the initiative made it possible to monitor the participants’ sporting practice and collect data on “effort levels”, “heart rate” and “calories burned” during the activity.
According to the statement issued by the organization, this data is essential to “evaluate the players’ sporting practice” and can serve as a “base for future investigations” in the NSL project. With the support of the University of Salamanca and the Economic and Social Council of Portugal, the project seeks to “understand, know and act” in the face of the growing challenge of increasing life expectancy and demographic transformations, which reflect “a new global reality”.
In addition to promoting active aging, the NSL project aims to deepen the study of the benefits and needs of the senior population, considering the context of “a notable decline in the birth rate and an unbalanced distribution of the population”, as highlighted in the statement. Data collection and analysis thus aim to provide a “better understanding of the needs and benefits of exercise programs adapted” to the reality of the aging population.
Photos: DR
