Writing more specific exercise prescriptions

摘要

IN PROVIDING GUIDANCE TO MY PATIENTS ABOUT exercise, I used to be very general in my instructions: 20 to 30 minutes, at least 2 or 3 times a week, of whatever activity you like most (eg, walking, playing tennis, or swimming). My thought, to the extent I thought about it at all, was that if they liked the activity they engaged in, they would be more likely to persist in it. Similarly, if a patient told me that she swam 3 times a week, I was more than satisfied. It would not have occurred to me to say: swimming is great, but because it is not weightbearing, it is not good protection against osteoporosis. Although any form of exercise is better than a sedentary lifestyle, additional research in the field can guide prescriptions for exercise regimens as specific as our prescriptions for hypertension medications or human immunodeficiency virus an-tiretroviral therapy. They should consider not only patient preference but also the differential benefits of different forms of exercise.