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The purpose of this article is to propose creation of a consistent, measureable 12-week aquatic exercise progression for individuals diagnosed with asthma. An aquatic exercise option not requiring swim skills may offer real value, but no previous literature explicitly describes a standardized nonswimming aquatic exercise progression. Participants were diagnosed: medically managed asthmatics in a rural community. Guidelines set forth by AEA and ACSM were used in the development of the exercise program and progression. By the end of the 12 weeks, instructors were challenging participants with multilevel travel sets and complex timed sequences, meeting programmatic goals for exercise intensity progression. In conclusion, this 12-week aquatic exercise protocol could effectively be prescribed by aquatic exercise specialists to increase physical activity in an asthmatic population. The design may be used in research studies as a consistent and measurable treatment protocol. According to the National Health Interview Study, in 2007 approximately 40.6 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma at some point during their life. Approximately 16.2 million are affected by asthma symptoms daily. Asthma ranks within the most prevalent conditions causing limitation of activity, which can make asthmatics more likely to suffer from cardiovascular and metabolic conditions resulting from a sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity has been shown to have extensive health benefits both in normally functioning adults as well as in adults with asthma (Lucas & Platts-Mills, 2005; Pedersen & Saltin, 2006). Aquatic exercise programs focusing on respiratory endurance have significantly improved athletic performance in the general population (Romer, McConnell, & Jones, 2002a, 2002b). Researchers have also reported that individuals suffering from asthma typically have subnormal exercise tolerance (

Modification of behavior is an important goal for organizations desiring to improve the healthfulness of a society. Unfortunately, many strategies used to affect health‐related behaviors (e.g., health beliefs model) are relatively complex and sometimes difficult to apply. A strategy potentially more useful for achieving such behavior change is self‐prophecy a simple technique requiring people to predict their future behavior, which in turn yields an increased probability of performing the behavior in a socially desirable manner. In the current research, we test the capacity of self‐prophecy to influence people's commitment to a health and fitness assessment. In addition, we explore an under‐researched issue regarding the application of self‐prophecy; namely, does specificity of the prediction request impact the effectiveness of self‐prophecy?

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