Efficacy of Intensive Lifestyle Education and Forest-Based Exercise for the Primary Prevention of the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease.

Introduction: Despite its efficacy, conventional center-based cardiac rehabilitation has several limitations which have led to the emergence of home-based programs and intensive cardiac rehabilitation as alternative methods for overcoming these limitations. Alternative methods for primary prevention have been recommended for similar reasons. Lifestyle modification is considered key to success in both primary and secondary prevention.

Aqua walking as an alternative exercise modality during cardiac rehabilitation for coronary artery disease in older patients with lower extremity osteoarthritis.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aqua walking (AW) on coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults with osteoarthritis in the lower extremity and compare it with that of traditional over-ground walking.

Methods: Sixty consecutive eligible patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention for CAD with limited ambulation due to lower extremity osteoarthritis were recruited. They were randomly assigned to the AW program group, treadmill/track walking (TW) program group, or non-exercise control group (CON).

Contemporary Approaches to Prescribing Exercise in Coronary Artery Disease Patients.

Health care professionals engaged in the management of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, both in primary and secondary prevention settings, should possess the knowledge to develop and modify both aerobic exercise as well as musculoskeletal resistance exercise training programs. The traditional exercise prescription (ExRx) for aerobic-type exercise describes the intensity, frequency, duration, and mode of exercise, as well as the rate of progression. The more contemporary ExRx focuses on the energy expenditure associated with all physical activity not just structured exercise bouts.

Exercise prescription using resting heart rate plus 20 or perceived exertion in cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose: For patients starting a cardiac rehabilitation program, exercise intensity often is set 20 beats per minute above the standing resting heart rate (RHR+20) or in a range of 11 to 13 on Borg's Scale for Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE 11-13). The purpose of this study was to determine the actual exercise intensity, expressed as a percentage of peak oxygen uptake reserve (%VO2R) using these techniques.

Methods: For this study, 11 new referrals to a phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation program voluntarily underwent a symptom-limited exercise test and a field test that consisted of self-paced over-the-ground walking for 10 minutes at levels corresponding to RPE 11-13 and RHR+20.