Table 4.

Intensity of physical activity and measurement.

Intensity	Aerobic physical activity				Muscle-strengthening and multicomponent physical activity
	Talk test	RPE (Borg CR10)	%HRmax	MET	%RM	RPE (Borg CR10)
Sedentary	Speak normally and can sing	<1	<50	≤1.5 (e.g., sitting)	<30	<1
Light	Speak normally and can sing	1–2	50–63	<3 (e.g., watering plants)	30–49	1–2
Moderate	Speak in sentences but cannot sing	3–4	64–76	3–5.9 (e.g., brisk walk)	50–69	3–4
Vigorous	Speak a few words and need to pause	5–9	77–93	6–8.8 (e.g., jogging)	70–84	5–9
Very high	Cannot speak	10	>93	≥8.8 (e.g., running)	≥85	10
Practical comment	•Easy and no cost method •Subjective measurement	•A 10-point scale (0–10) is easier and more practical to use in primary care than the traditional scale (6–20) •Subjective measurement	•Objective measurement •Need to calculate the heart rate range e.g., a 40-year-old patient aims to exercise at moderate intensity should monitor the heart rate between 115 and 137 beats/minute (64–76% of HRmax) •May require additional devices such as a wearable device (e.g., smart watch)	•Easy to give examples of activities at each intensity level •Relative intensity e.g., running at 6.4 km/h (4.3 METs) is considered as a moderate-intensity PA, however, running at this pace may be very easy (low intensity) for a well-trained person	•Potential to assign the appropriate weight range e.g., a patient has 1 RM = 10 kg, therefore, the moderate intensity is 5–6.9 kg •Limited use in daily life activity e.g., lifting a piece of furniture may not be able to indicate the percentage of 1RM	•A 10-point scale (0–10) is easier and more practical to use in primary care than the traditional scale (6–20) •Subjective measurement

Borg CR10: Borg category scales with ratio properties (10-point scale); %HRmax: percent of maximum heart rate (HR_max = 220−age); MET: metabolic equivalent (1 MET = 3.5 mL/kg/min of oxygen uptake); 1 RM: one-time repetition maximum; RPE: rating of perceived exertion.