Boosting Physical Fitness at Home During Covid-19: Learning from the Past to Face the Present

Purpose: the beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) to enhance overall aspects of health and to counteract the detrimental effects of aging process are well documented. To contain the airborne infection, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several restrictions were imposed. Those limitations resulted in lifestyles’ changes and increasing in sedentary behaviours with severe health consequences such as reduction in endurance capacity, loss of muscle strength, becoming overweight and the onset of chronic disease, especially in older subjects. As one of the few possible ways to stay active are home-based programs, this study aimed to investigate evidence dealing with the home-based PA programs’ effects in older adults, focusing on postural control, fall prevention, mobility, strength and Quality of life (QoL) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: the computer search for English language literature was conducted. Studies assessing home-based PA programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (from January 2004 to November 2021) among older population were included in the review. Keywords included: ‘home-based physical activity programs‘, ‘COVID-19’, ‘quality of life’, ‘balance and falls’, ‘mobility’, ‘strength-resistance training’, ‘chronic diseases’, ‘technological device’ and ‘older adult’. Results: studies suggested that before COVID-19, multicomponent home-based programs (balance, mobility and strength-resistance) played a key role in preventing and managing chronic diseases in older living. Regarding older living with limitations as hospitalized or long-term care residents, neurological diseases or disability homebased represented a safe way to stay active. During COVID-19 confinement, the proliferation of on-line PA classes with or without the supervision of experts allowed older to carry out regular PA. In particular, multicomponent home-based programs based on balance, and functional exercises resulted in improved QoL, walking speed and mobility and reduce the rate of falls in older adults. Conclusions: before and during COVID-19, home-based PA programs represented an alternative, effective, enjoyable and new method for apparently healthy older adults, or those with specific chronic diseases, to stay/maintain physically active. Additionally, the use of technological devices as tablets, smartphone and exergames represent the future of health fitness in engaging PA at any time of the day, especially for frail population.