Uninterrupted and Interrupted Sitting in Long COVID-19

People who sit uninterrupted for prolonged periods time have been shown to have poorer cardiovascular health compared to those that regularly interrupt it (e.g. standing up and moving). Cognition and brain function has also been shown to be impaired following uninterrupted sitting. Research has shown that interrupting sitting with exercise improves cardiovascular health in healthy men and women cognition, feeling of fatigue and cerebral oxygenation. Low intensity physical activity can help people with Long coronavirus disease (COVID) by reducing feelings of fatigue. Individuals with long COVID have symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog. As such, people with long COVID may spend more time sitting during the day and demonstrate worsened cardiovascular and cognitive health. As such, there may be greater levels of cognitive decline and worsened cardiovascular health outcomes. In this study the investigators are interested in assessing the cardiovascular health and brain function of people with (and without) long COVID before and after uninterrupted and interrupted sitting. Interruptions will be every 30 minutes during a 120 minute sitting period. Interruptions are self-paced and include up to three minutes of walking, five heel raises and five sit-to-stands at each interruption. To ensure external validity of the project, all interruptions are functional activities which can be reproducible in a home environment. Vascular health and cognitive function will be assessed before and after the interrupted and uninterrupted trials. Eligible participants will be aged over 18 years, have displayed symptoms of long COVID for more than 4 weeks, and have been diagnosed with long COVID via their GP or through a long COVID clinic. Involvement in the study will include three visits to a physiology laboratory at the University of Winchester or University of Gloucestershire. Involvement can be expected to last up to 40 days to account for the necessary time required between laborato