Listening to the body, part 1: cardio training & stretching by Mary E. Sanders, PhD

Fitness and wellness instructors often suggest that clients listen to their bodies. This approach helps individuals focus on how they feel during exercise and encourages them to adjust intensity as needed to target their personal goals. However, although frequent exercisers probably recognize feelings of exertion during training, many participants who are older, recovering from an injury or new to exercise may not know how they should feel as activity levels increase. As a result, they could underestimate or overestimate intensity, leading to few health gains (undertraining) and/or low adherence due to discomfort or injury.