A New Holistic Exercise Protocol for Improving Quality of Life

Background: Quality of Life (QoL) is a multidimensional construct influenced by physical, mental, and psycho-emotional factors. Holistic movement practices (HMPs) have shown potential benefits for well-being; however, empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of developed protocols remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Bio-gymnastic® method, a mind–body exercise protocol, on health-related QoL in adults and to explore possible differences by gender and age. Methods: A pilot longitudinal study was conducted involving 171 adults (female: 151, male: 20) who completed a 10-week Bio-gymnastic program consisting of one supervised session per week. The protocol integrated self-body awareness, postural control, breathing regulation, muscle activation–relaxation, and multisensory stimulation. Quality of life was assessed before and after the intervention using the Italian version of the SF-36 Health Survey. A two-way ANCOVA was applied to evaluate pre-post changes, accounting for the interaction effects of gender and age categories. Results: Significant improvements were observed across several SF-36 domains following the intervention. Notable gains were observed in physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, and mental health, with medium to large effect sizes in the physical domains. Improvements were generally independent of gender and age, although an interaction effect between gender and age emerged for physical functioning in the oldest participants. Conclusions: The proposed method appears to be an effective, low-dose holistic exercise intervention, suggesting that it may enhance multiple dimensions of QoL in adults. These preliminary findings support the potential role of mind–body practices as accessible health-promotion strategies. Further randomised controlled studies with balanced samples and objective outcome measures are needed to confirm and extend these results.