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 .
A randomised controlled trial of the effects of implementation intentions on women's walking behaviour
The combination of low physical activity rates and increased cardiovascular deaths indicate the overwhelming need for behaviour change interventions that can effectively promote physical activity among sedentary women . This 11-week r and omised controlled trial examined the effects of an implementation intentions intervention on sedentary women 's walking behaviour . Seventy-five women ( M age = 48.17 ) were r and omly assigned to either a control group where they were required to self-monitor their daily pedometer-determined step count or to an experimental group where they were asked to form specific walking plans ( i.e. implementation intentions ) every 6 weeks and to self-monitor their daily pedometer-determined step count .  Measures of  exercise intentions , perceived behavioural control , scheduling and barrier self-efficacy were administered at baseline , week 6 and week 11 . Analyses indicated higher step counts over the first 6 weeks for women in the experimental condition ( p < 0.02 ) . Furthermore , higher self-efficacy to schedule ( p < 0.01 ) and overcome walking barriers ( p < 0.03 ) , as well as higher perceptions of behavioural control ( p < 0.02 ) were found at week 11 for women in the experimental versus control condition . However , none of the control beliefs were found to mediate the effects of the intervention on the women 's walking behaviour . Furthermore , the intervention did not have any effect on the strength of the goal intention – behaviour relationship . The findings suggest implementation intentions are an effective strategy for initiating leisure-time walking within sedentary women
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 .