James W Navalta

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Background Digital health devices have enhanced healthcare accessibility, but their design may unintentionally exclude gender diverse people. This study examines whether the input of binary sex data in a portable metabolic analysis system (COSMED K5) impacts the accuracy of physiological measurements during self-paced exercise. Methods Twenty adul...

Introduction: As wearable technology becomes increasingly popular and sophisticated, independent validation is needed to determine its accuracy and potential applications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy (validity) of VO2max estimates and blood oxygen saturation measured via pulse oximetry using the Garmin fēnix 6...

State mindfulness is a dynamic construct reflecting current mindfulness, or purposeful attention to the present moment with openness, non-judgment, non-reactivity, and acceptance. Despite its popularity and research in psychology and medicine, measuring state mindfulness remains a challenge. Validity and reliability of the State Mindfulness Scale (...

The fitness movement in the United States has evolved substantially since its emergence in the late 20th century, with social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok now playing a pivotal role in disseminating fitness programs and associated claims. One program that has gained considerable popularity is the 12-3-30 treadmill workout (12-3-30), whic...

The purpose of this study was to understand whether or not physiological and biomechanical measures were influenced by cycling sway and intensity. Participants (n=13; 24.9±6.5 years; 1.7±0.1 m; 64.7±11.2 kg) completed two submaximal-effort cycling conditions using a stationary smart bike placed on a rocker board: 1) cycling with the rocker board se...

We recently closed the second of two Special Issues centered around wearable technology use in exercise and sport applications [...]

Pickleball is a popular sport. Also popular is wearable technology usage. Because the validity and reliability of wearable technology during pickleball is unknown, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the ability of common devices to return heart rate and estimated energy expenditure during pickleball activity. Twenty adult participants wer...

A self-study of International Journal of Exercise Science (IJES) publications from 2008 through 2021 revealed a sex-data gap in participant and corresponding author representation. This finding prompted the creation of the IJES Working Group for Opportunity, Representation, and Diverse Perspectives. We are a collaborative team of authors, reviewers...

The International Journal of Exercise Science (IJES) Working Group for Opportunity, Representation, and Diverse Perspectives was tasked with developing a position stand to provide guidance in critical areas of inclusion. We present to authors, reviewers, and all readership IJES ideals to utilize in practice. Key points are presented, followed by a...

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/scholarship_kin/vol5/iss1/5/ Studies have reported that non-exercise nature immersion (e.g., sitting) and green exercise increase connectedness to nature. The sitting was long, and the exercise was moderate-to-vigorous. And whether the scales used are valid and test-re...

To the purpose of this study was to compare muscle oscillation, muscle activation time, and oxygen consumption while wearing compression pants vs. a control garment during running. Methods. Eleven injury-free and recreationally active participants (26.73 ± 12.74 years) were recruited for this study. Participants ran in full-leg compression pants (C...

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2023/12000/2023_nsca_national_conference_abstracts.31.aspx

A sex-data gap, from testing primarily males, results in a lack of scientific knowledge for other groups (females, transgender individuals). It is unknown whether typical recruitment and participant characterization causes incorrect statistical decisions, and three factors were evaluated: 1) underrepresenting cisgender females, 2) recruiting small...

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(7): 1440-1450, 2023. Purpose: This study sought to assess the validity of several heart rate (HR) monitors in wearable technology during mountain biking (MTB), compared to the Polar H7® HR monitor, used as the criterion device. Methods: A total of 20 participants completed two MTB trials while wearing si...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/28/ Pickleball is a racquet sport that originated in the 1960s. Due to its beginner-friendly nature, it attracts players of all ages and fitness levels. Despite becoming the most quickly growing sport in the nation, it is still underresearched. The sport’s physiological demands based on pulmonary me...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/123. Pickleball is one of the fastest up and coming sports in the United States today. This low impact sport has the combined elements of Ping-Pong, tennis, and badminton. Pickleball can be played with the dominant hand (DH) or non-dominant (NDH). Though many people enjoy the sport, it is under-resea...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/118. While tennis and badminton may present a moderate learning curve for beginners, pickleball, a similar racquet sport that has become increasingly popular in recent years, offers a notably simpler play-style that can be more easily adapted for new players. This sport has emerged during a time when...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/131. Pickleball is making a name for itself as one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), 14% of Americans 18 years and over (~36.5 million people) played pickleball at least once in 12 months. With almost half of the total...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/122. Wearable technology has claimed the top spot in the Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends in all but two years since 2016. A popular wearable among runners is the Stryd power meter. The company markets its latest model, the Stryd 27, as 5x more responsive in measuring running power. Yet, it is uncl...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/141. Wearable power meters are increasingly popular among runners with Coros and Stryd offering running power as a real-time, trackable of a metric. PURPOSE: This study compared running power (RP) to physiological measures, heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (VO2), across high and low intensity r...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/130. Wearable technology is beneficial when it comes to tracking and optimizing performance. The Stryd 27 is a wearable footpod marketed as being more responsive in measuring power during running than the previous version (Stryd 25). However, the reliability of this newer device to return consistent...

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss3/134. Playing a racquet sport called pickleball is increasing in popularity every day in the United States. Garmin is a popular brand that manufactures wearable fitness trackers capable of measuring heart rate (HR). Because HR is a common way to determe exercise intensity, the validity and reliability...

Date Presented 04/21/2023 This poster will describe findings from an analysis of a national survey of older adults. Findings will highlight psychological factors associated with fear of falling and fear of falling avoidance behavior and their relationship with fall risk. Primary Author and Speaker: John V. Rider Contributing Authors: Nirmala Lekhak...

Consumer wearable technology use is widespread and there is a need to validate measures obtained in uncontrolled settings. Because no standard exists for the treatment of heart rate data during exercise, the effect of different approaches on reliability (Coefficient of Variation [CV], Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC]) and validity (Mean Abs...

Methods: Training impulse (TRIMP) is obtained through wearable technology and plays a direct role on the load management of soccer players. It is important to understand TRIMP to best prepare athletes for competition. A systematic search for articles was conducted using Google Scholar, with papers screened and extracted by five reviewers. The inclu...

As wearable technology (WT) has evolved, devices have developed the ability to track a range of physiological variables. These include maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) and lactate threshold (LT). With WT quickly growing in popularity, independent evaluation of these devices is important to determine the appropriate use-cases for the devices. There...

A sex-data gap exists between females and males within the sport and exercise science literature, and implications are far-reaching. The purpose of this work was to (a) heed recent calls and scrutinize data from within IJES to address the gap and (b) gain insight on self-identified sex of IJES corresponding authors. The present self-study included...

Migraines are the most common cause of chronic pain. Effective, non-pharmacological strategies to reduce migraine load, like exercise, are needed, but it is unclear how exercise timing and chronotype modulate the effects. We sought to determine the effects of time-of-day of exercise, and synchrony with one’s chronotype, on migraine load. We perform...

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1692-1734, 2022. Meditative and mindful exercise are types of physical exercise during which people pay attention, on purpose, to each new present moment without judging their experience. The goal is to apply an accepting awareness of the environment, bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions without...

Research Objectives To examine the relationship between psychological factors (catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety) and fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Design A secondary analysis of previously published cross-sectional data. Factors associated with FFAB were examined using hierarchic...

It has been estimated that there are 20 million people who participate in trail running, and these numbers are expected to increase by 15% each year. Our laboratory group has conducted studies on the validity of wearable technology watches and heart rate (HR) during trail running. The previous generation devices were mostly inaccurate, and a limita...

Wearable technology and resistance training are two of the top five worldwide fitness trends for 2022 as determined by ACSM. Many devices, such as Garmin's Instinct, have functions to track various physiological aspects during resistance training. However, to our knowledge, independent verification of the validity and reliability of these devices f...

Modern technology has evolved to include various health and fitness trackers to help the general population become more aware of their physical wellbeing. However, the reliability of these technologies is not well-established. PURPOSE: Determine the reliability of Stryd accelerometer during trail running. METHODS: Seventeen participants (25 ± 9 yea...

Running is a popular sport with 621 million people participating worldwide. Heart rate (HR) is a way to determine intensity but many people do not want to wear a HR strap around their chest because it is uncomfortable and can cause chaffing. An alternative location for determining HR could be the biceps but the validity of such devices need to be d...

BACKGROUND: Heart rate (HR) intensity in walking and running has been extensively studied. However, exploring the intensities of other activities such as skipping has been skipped over. Skipping is a playful activity usually performed in short bouts. The intensity and feasibility of skipping for several minutes is unclear. Studying HR during skippi...

An estimated 20 million people participate in trail running with this number expected grow at a rate of 15% annually. Wearable technology devices have become more relied upon to track running data such as distance, cadence, elevation gain, etc. The consistency between these devices is not well-established. PURPOSE: To determine the consistency of d...

The use of wearable technology to track physical activity is popular among fitness enthusiasts and the general public. There are many brands that offer a variety of devices. One popular brand is Garmin. The validity of Garmin's wrist-worn devices in measuring step counts in various settings, such as walking up and down a staircase, is unclear. PURP...

People report feeling connected to nature while spending time in green space. The modulators of this relationship are unclear. One modulator may be state mindfulness, which is how mindful someone is in a specific moment. The first step of studying state mindfulness as a potential modulator is describing how state mindfulness and connectedness to na...

As the use of wearable technology to monitor physical activity increases, assessment of the validity and reliability of these devices are needed. A popular device brand is Garmin. Although not a common physical activity, skipping can be included in dynamic warm-ups. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the validity and rel...

With growing interest in tracking exercise progress, wearable technology is increasingly popular. While heart rate and step count are typically accurate for consumer-available devices, research from our laboratory indicates that caloric expenditure is not. PURPOSE: The current investigation aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of caloric...

Ultramarathon running is a sport that is growing in popularity. Competing in an ultramarathon event is physiologically taxing on the human body, and it should not be surprising that not all individuals who enroll for an event ultimately finish. While many factors can contribute to this phenomenon, it is likely that nutritional and hydration strateg...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological factors (depression, anxiety, and catastrophizing) and fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) among individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 59 individuals with PD using hierarchical multiple regres...

Date Presented 03/31/2022 Fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) is a significant concern with a unique presentation among individuals with Parkinson’s disease. FFAB often leads to downstream consequences of physical and psychological functional decline. This poster will describe the activities most avoided because of FFAB, the relationship betw...

Background: Fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objectives: The objectives of the study are to determine what activities are most avoided due to FFAB among people with PD and whether any associations exist with demographic factors or fall history. Method: Cross-sectional analysis of 174 individuals with...

Indoor sport rock climbing has been increasing in popularity both recreationally and competitively. Despite this increase in popularity, the physiological responses to sport climbing as an exercise to specific muscle groups are not well defined. The purpose of this study was to quantify the change in handgrip strength over a 30-minute bout of conti...

The crown of a successful academic career is often considered an achievement of tenure. The path to tenure may vary based on the type of Carnegie University at which one is employed. Carnegie Doctoral granting R1 Universities place a high priority on conducting research, grant writing and publishing while other Carnegie classified Universities plac...

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(4): 193-207, 2022. The traditional linear periodization model is designed for modifications to be performed over several weeks, whereas alterations in the undulating model are applied on a more frequent basis. The study investigated a novel periodization scheme, the muscle daily undulating periodization...

Undergraduate and graduate students in courses designed to introduce research techniques in exercise physiology were provided the novel opportunity through Project-based Learning (PBL) to utilize a prototype device to measure energy expenditure (EE). This report summarizes how EE measurements were incorporated via PBL into course-required experimen...

Background: The Styrd Power Meter is gaining special interest for on-field gait analyses due to its low-cost and general availability. However, the reliability and validity of the Stryd during walking on positive slopes using different backpack loads have never been investigated. Research Question: Is the Stryd Power Meter reliable and valid to qu...

The accelerated advancements in exercise technology have resulted in the development of wearable metabolic units, allowing measurements to occur outside traditional laboratories. The validation of new equipment is essential in various applications. PURPOSE: The pilot study's purpose was to validate the metabolic measurements of the COSMED K5 wearab...

To our knowledge, no published systematic review has described the effects of mindful walking on mental and cardiovascular health. We have aimed to fill this gap by first establishing our systematic review protocol. Our protocol was adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and is registered in PRO...

In the present study, we associated a high-fat diet (HF group: 45% kcal from lipids) or very high-fat (VHF group: 60% kcal from lipids) diet with a fructose drink (10% fructose) for hydration. Normal rat chow that received the control diet (content 16.3% kcal from lipid–AIN93G) and water. The treatments were introduced soon after weaning and were a...

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on the performance of rats subjected to resistance training ladder climbs (RTLC). METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats (80 days old) were divided into 4 groups: Control (C; n = 8): fed a standard diet with no exercise; Intermittent fasting (IF; n = 8): IF for 16h / day fed a standard...

This double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study examined the effect of induced painful sensation (via acute Beta Alanine (B-ALA) ingestion) on Love and Care of Nature (LCN), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) during outdoor exercise. Twenty participants volunteered on consecutive days t...

It is difficult for developers, researchers, and consumers to compare results among emerging wearable technology without using a uniform set of standards. This study evaluated the accuracy of commercially available wearable technology heart rate (HR) monitors using the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) standards. Participants (N = 23) simultane...

BACKGROUND: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is the most applied technique in the treatment of severe obesity worldwide. However, its impact on anthropometric parameters and the risk for cardiometabolic diseases in obese patients is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate anthropometric clinical parameters and the evolution of risk factors for obe...

Considering the negative impact of obesity on neuromuscular and immune systems, we sought to compare the effects of a 10-week resistance training (RT) program on muscle quality index (MQI), muscle strength, functional capacity, and immunoglobulins in older women with and without obesity. Thirty-nine older women participated in the present study (ag...

The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning postulates that autonomy support (AS), enhanced expectancies (EE), and an external focus of attention (EF) facilitate improved motor learning and performance. However, its applicability to elite-level throwing athletes has not been investigated by previous literature. The primary purpose of this study was to inv...

In the present study, we associated a high‐fat diet (HF group: 45% kcal from lipids) or very high‐fat (VHF group: 60% kcal from lipids) diet with a fructose drink (10% fructose) for hydration. Normal rat chow that received the control diet (content 16.3% kcal from lipid–AIN93G) and water. The treatments were introduced soon after weaning and were a...

Objectives This study analyzed the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on the performance of rats subjected to resistance training ladder climbs (RTLC). Methods Thirty-Two Wistar rats (80 days-old) were divided into 4 groups (n=8/group): Control (C): fed a standard diet with no exercise; Intermittent fasting (IF): IF for 16h / day, fed a standard...

Background: Repeated measures analysis of covariance and three-way analysis of variance with repeated measures are common statistical methods. For a valid interpretation of blood pressure (BP) response to exercise, a variety of additional statistical methods must be implemented. Four additional statistical methods are presented: technical error of...

To evaluate the effect of combined resistance and aerobic training (RT+AT) on regional bone mineral density (BMD) and physical performance in people living with HIV (PLWH). Forty PLWH (20 men and 20 women) were randomized into RT+AT group (n=20; age = 38.3 ± 4.9) or non‐exercise control group (n=20; age = 37.9 ± 5.1). The RT+AT group was required...

This study compared the effectiveness of dynamic resistance training (DRT) versus isometric RT (IRT) on osteogenesis and hormonal mechanisms involved in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. One hundred and ninety-three MHD patients were randomized into three groups: control (CTL; n=60), DRT (n=66), and IRT (n=67). A first visit was required for...

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the current state of the literature and to identify the types of study designs, wearable devices, statistical tests, and exercise modes used in validation and reliability studies conducted in applied settings/outdoor environments. This was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic...

It has been previously observed that the beneficial role of exercise depends, at least in part, on the bioavailability of sestrins, which are evolutionarily conserved between species and are expressed through different stress conditions [1]. Sestrin modulates the expression of genes that are related to mitochondrial bioenergetics, probably guarante...

It has been previously observed that the beneficial role of exercise depends, at least in part, on the bioavailability of sestrins, which are evolutionarily conserved between species and are expressed through different stress conditions [1]. Sestrin modulates the expression of genes that are related to mitochondrial bioenergetics, probably guarante...

Wearable technology is becoming increasingly popular with new devices entering the market frequently, but with disproportionality less research being conducted on the reliability and validity in field settings, outside of the laboratory. This paper details the methodology of gathering research based on the principals of a rapid review, using these...

The study tested the hypothesis that a high protein diet based on isolated whey protein (IWP) associated with strength training improves performance and reduces body fat without promoting health damage. Male Wistar rats, 45 days old, were divided into four groups (n = 8/group): normoprotein sedentary (IWP 14%; NS); hyperprotein sedentary (IWP 35%;...