This review summarised in detail the effects  SD exercise interventions had on sedentary middle-aged individuals alongside the adherence to the prescriptions .
SD exercise was seen to be beneficial for improving metabolic outcomes physical characteristics , cardiorespiratory fitness and functional measures
Many chronic diseases and illnesses are caused by the lifestyle , including the physical activity habits , of an individual .
As such , consistent high levels of exercise should be encouraged across the lifespan , to limit the risk of developing one of these conditions and allowing for healthy aging to occur .
Exercise prescriptions that encourage high completion and adherence rates in an independent manner and improve health related outcomes should be provided to individuals .
To date , no review has identified optimal prescriptions of exercise to achieve this in sedentary middle-aged adults and this is important , given the higher risk of developing illnesses in this population as they age .
This review examines the effects prescriptions of self-directed ( SD ) exercise has on adherence and health related outcomes in sedentary middle-aged individuals in good general health currently and aims to identify the most suitable forms of planned SD exercise that can be carried out independently .
Effects of Nordic walking on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes, impaired or normal glucose tolerance.
BACKGROUND Physical activity remains a valuable prevention for metabolic disease . The effects of Nordic walking on cardiovascular risk factors were determined in overweight individuals with normal or disturbed glucose regulation . METHODS We included 213 individuals , aged 60 ± 5.3 years and with body mass index ( BMI ) of 30.2 ± 3.8 kg/m(2 ) ; of these , 128 had normal glucose tolerance ( NGT ) , 35 had impaired glucose tolerance ( IGT ) and 50 had type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM ) . Participants were r and omized to unaltered physical activity or to 5 h per week of Nordic walking with poles , for a 4-month period . Dietary habits were unaltered . BMI , waist circumference , blood pressure , glucose tolerance , clinical chemistry , maximal oxygen uptake ( peak VO(2 ) ) and self-reported physical activity ( question naire ) were assessed at the time of inclusion and after 4 months . The participants in the exercise-intervention group kept a walking diary . RESULTS In the NGT exercise group , self-reported physical activity increased markedly , and body weight ( -2.0 ± 3.8 kg ) , BMI ( -0.8 ± 1.4 kg/m(2 ) ) and waist circumference ( -4.9 ± 4.4 cm ) ( mean ± SD ) decreased . Exercise power output ( 12.9 ± 9.9 W ) and peak VO(2 ) ( 2.7 ± 2.8 mL/kg/min ) increased in the IGT exercise group . More cardiovascular risk factors were improved after exercise intervention in people with NGT compared with those with IGT or T2DM . Exercise capacity improved significantly in all three groups of participants who reported at least 80 % compliance with the scheduled exercise . CONCLUSIONS Nordic walking  improved anthropometric measurements and exercise capacity . However , unsupervised Nordic walking may not provide a sufficient increase in exercise intensity to achieve ultimate health-promoting benefits on the cardiovascular parameters assessed in this study , particularly for those with disturbed glucose regulation
This review summarised in detail the effects  SD exercise interventions had on sedentary middle-aged individuals alongside the adherence to the prescriptions .
SD exercise was seen to be beneficial for improving metabolic outcomes physical characteristics , cardiorespiratory fitness and functional measures
Many chronic diseases and illnesses are caused by the lifestyle , including the physical activity habits , of an individual .
As such , consistent high levels of exercise should be encouraged across the lifespan , to limit the risk of developing one of these conditions and allowing for healthy aging to occur .
Exercise prescriptions that encourage high completion and adherence rates in an independent manner and improve health related outcomes should be provided to individuals .
To date , no review has identified optimal prescriptions of exercise to achieve this in sedentary middle-aged adults and this is important , given the higher risk of developing illnesses in this population as they age .
This review examines the effects prescriptions of self-directed ( SD ) exercise has on adherence and health related outcomes in sedentary middle-aged individuals in good general health currently and aims to identify the most suitable forms of planned SD exercise that can be carried out independently .