Introduction
Introducing a physical activity regimen can be difficult, especially for individuals who have a sedentary lifestyle. Besides the need to implement a schedule that can be difficult to incorporate for individuals with busy lives, consistency is challenging to maintain. This is why it is important to consider the patient’s characteristics and preferences.
Another circumstance that can be helpful to include when establishing a program is existing health conditions. For example, asthma can become a barrier to exercising as it can be a trigger for a certain demographic. In the current paper, a regiment will be established for a forty-year-old adult sedentary female with asthma. The focus will be on progression from shorter 20-minute walks to 40-minute sessions of cardio, strength, or flexibility routines three days a week.
Initial Aim
Incorporating a training routine is essential, especially for patients with respiratory conditions. Researchers point out that activity is beneficial for reducing or minimizing the intensity and frequency of asthma episodes (Panagiotou et al., 2020). As an introduction to fitness, light activity is recommended. For example, the individual can take 20-minute walks or swim for a similar duration twice a week.
It is important to monitor asthma symptoms during each exercise and reduce intensity. The regimen itself is less important than the consistency during this phase. Hence, it is important to stick to the regimen and not participate in physical activities less than two times per week.
The recommendation correlates with the predetermined condition as researchers mention walking as a positive influence on asthma severity (Pitzner‐Fabricius et al., 2022). To assess the progress, the patient is to report being fully comfortable with the initially implemented condition. Hence, if the individual in question exercises based on this schedule for a month and does not report any worsening of the breathing, the intensity can be enhanced.
Second Stage Progression
As the individual completes one month of exercise according to the regimen and without experiencing negative outcomes, the second stage can be implemented. First and foremost, the frequency will advance from twice a week to three times a week. Additionally, more options will be available besides walking and swimming, such as stretching and bodyweight training routines. The latter has been shown to be a functional way to boost muscle size and endurance (Harvard Health Publishing, 2022). The sessions will last 30 minutes instead of 20. To determine whether a progression can be implemented to further maximize results, the patient has to incorporate the plan for one month without experiencing asthma attacks.
Third Stage Progression
The final stage illustrates that the person’s condition does not limit her opportunities to engage in activities as the most complex progression phase. The frequency of exercise, once again, increases to four times a week, each exercise being implemented for 40 minutes. Every seven days, the individual will have one cardio, two strength training, and one stretching or yoga day. This activity level will lead to significant health benefits on various levels (Posadzki et al., 2020). The complexity of this phase, however, was approached gradually, increasing the likelihood that it will be fully applied.
Conclusion
Having a sedentary lifestyle can be addressed through a progression from light exercise to a more frequent regiment of various activities three times a week. Barriers occur when it comes to becoming active, especially in the case of people with asthma. This is why progressive overload can generate changes while incrementally advancing in frequency and intensity. As illustrated prior, the plan is to go from short walks or swims twice a week to 40-minute strength, cardio, or stretching training four days each week based on how the individual responds to training health and consistency-wise.
References
Harvard Health Publishing. (2022). The advantages of body-weight exercise. Harvard Medical School. Web.
Panagiotou, M., Koulouris, N. G., & Rovina, N. (2020). Physical activity: A missing link in asthma care. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(3), 706. Web.
Pitzner‐Fabricius, A., Clark, V. L., Backer, V., Gibson, P. G., & McDonald, V. M. (2022). Factors associated with 6‐min walk distance in severe asthma: A cross‐sectional study. Respirology, 27(12), 1025–1033. Web.
Posadzki, P., Pieper, D., Bajpai, R., Makaruk, H., Könsgen, N., Neuhaus, A. L., & Semwal, M. (2020). Exercise/physical activity and health outcomes: An overview of Cochrane Systematic Reviews. BMC Public Health, 20(1). Web.
Loading...
