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 .
Effectiveness of long and short bout walking on increasing physical activity in women.
BACKGROUND The accumulation of physical activity ( PA ) throughout the day has been suggested as a means to increase PA behavior . It is not known , however , if accumulated PA results in equivalent increases in PA behavior compared with one continuous session . The purpose of this investigation was to compare changes in  PA  between participants assigned to walk daily in accumulated shorter bouts vs. one continuous session . METHODS In this 8-week r and omized controlled trial , 60 inactive women were r and omly assigned to one of the following : ( 1 ) control group , ( 2 ) 30 minutes a day of walking 5 days a week in one continuous long bout ( LB ) , or ( 3 ) three short 10-minute bouts ( SB ) of walking a day , all at a prescribed heart rate intensity . Walking was assessed by pedometer and self-reported walking log . Before and after measures were taken of average steps/day , resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure ( SBP , DBP ) , resting heart rate ( RHR ) , six-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) distance , height , weight , body mass index ( BMI ) , and hip and waist circumference . RESULTS Both walking groups significantly increased PA measured as steps/day compared to controls ( p < 0.001 ) , and no significant differences were found between LB and SB groups . The LB group demonstrated significant decreases in hip circumference and significant increases in 6MWT distance compared to the control group . CONCLUSIONS Both walking groups significantly increased PA participation . LB group participants completed more walking at a higher intensity than the SB and control groups , which result ed in significant increases in health benefits
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 .