DESIGNING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM

You have decided to exercise, set some goals, and determined your baseline. Now you are ready to devise an exercise program that will help you reach your goals. You may currently be exercising and only wish to modify your routine to accommodate your arthritis. You may have reached this decision because you have trouble doing a specific activity, such as getting out of a chair or walking with your grandchild to the local park. You may think that you need to focus only on that activity, but if you only work on that one thing, you may not reach your goal. A gentleman that I know was trying to improve his ability to walk without fatigue but found that his knee pain was a major limiting factor. After starting a simple home strength program for his legs, he improved his ability to walk without pain.

Components of Physical Fitness

Exercise Principles

Ways to Stimulate a Training Response

Putting It All Together