Practical Approaches to Prescribing Physical Activity and Monitoring Exercise Intensity
Abstract
Regular physical activity helps to prevent heart disease, and reduces the risk of first or subsequent cardiovascular events. It is recommended that Canadian adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more, and perform muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least 2 days per week. Individual exercise prescriptions can be developed using the frequency, intensity, time, and type principles. Increasing evidence suggests that high-intensity interval training is efficacious for a broad spectrum of heart health outcomes. Several practical approaches to prescribing and monitoring exercise intensity exist including: heart rate monitoring, the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale, the Talk Test, and, motion sensors. The Borg rating of perceived exertion scale matches a numerical value to an individual's perception of effort, and can also be used to estimate heart rate. The Talk Test, the level at which simple conversation is possible, can be used to monitor desired levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise. Motion sensors can provide users with practical and useful exercise training information to aid in meeting current exercise recommendations. These approaches can be used by the public, exercise scientists, and clinicians to easily and effectively guide physical activity in a variety of settings.
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Incorporating intrinsic motivational factors into exercise program design can significantly influence intervention adherence and participation rates.
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Prince, S. A., Reed, J. L., Cotie, L. M., Harris, J., Pipe, A. L., & Reid, R. D. (2018) · International Journal of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.07.082 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Reed, J. L., & Pipe, A. L.
- Affiliations
- Ottawa Heart Institute (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Reed, Jennifer L.
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Cardiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-04
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 514-522
- ISSN
- 0828-282X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2201630073
- Cited by
- 100
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 1.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Cardiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
- Keywords
- exercise prescription, exercise intensity monitoring, heart rate monitoring, Borg rating of perceived exertion, talk test, motion sensors, high-intensity interval training, cardiovascular disease prevention, physical activity guidelines, aerobic exercise, muscle-strengthening activity, cardiovascular health
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Exercise Therapy, Heart Diseases, Humans, Monitoring, Physiologic, Motor Activity, Exercise Tolerance
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