Exercise Prescription and Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

C ase presentation: Mr R. is a 48- year-old man with hypertension and dyslipidemia.He is 5Ј8Љ tall and weighs 177 lb, with a body mass index of 26.9 kg/m 2 .He swam competitively in college but has performed little physical activity since.He holds an office job and has no symptoms of angina, dyspnea, or palpitations.His brother recently had a myocardial infarction at 50 years of age.Mr. R. asks your advice about an exercise program that will reduce his risk of future myocardial infarction.Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and effective strategies for primary prevention of CHD are critical.Physical inactivity is one of several modifiable risk factors that contribute to CHD risk. 1 This article presents a practical approach to prescribing exercise for primary prevention of CHD.