Via practica 5/2015

Physical activity „tailored“: diagnostics, education and individualized exercise prescription

Ample evidence from clinical studies clearly shows that education and sustained motivation leading to effective lifestyle modification could unequivocally improve prevention and management of obesity and obesity-associated comorbidities. Education of patients, aimed at explaining the causes of obesity & obesity-associated health risks and presenting effective lifestyle modifications including individually tailored exercise program prescription, should be readily available as a part of the health care system. The aim of this work is to delineate perspectives of the individualized exercise prescription, to define an effective dose of physical activity as well as to point at the importance of patients’ education and exercise prescription in an effort to increase availability and implementation of exercise as a preventive and therapeutic tool for improvement of health & quality of life.

Keywords: physical activity and obesity, education, an effective dose of exercise, exercise prescription.