RT Journal
A1 Katz MH
T1 WRiting more specific exercise prescriptions
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2012
FD September 24
VO 172
IS 17
SP 1283
OP 1284
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3196
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3196
AB 
In providing guidance to my patients about exercise, I used to be very general in my instructions: 20 to 30 minutes, at least 2 or 3 times a week, of whatever activity you like most (eg, walking, playing tennis, or swimming). My thought, to the extent I thought about it at all, was that if they liked the activity they engaged in, they would be more likely to persist in it. Similarly, if a patient told me that she swam 3 times a week, I was more than satisfied. It would not have occurred to me to say: swimming is great, but because it is not weightbearing, it is not good protection against osteoporosis. Although any form of exercise is better than a sedentary lifestyle, additional research in the field can guide prescriptions for exercise regimens as specific as our prescriptions for hypertension medications or human immunodeficiency virus antiretroviral therapy. They should consider not only patient preference but also the differential benefits of different forms of exercise.