I am a Clinical Psychology Trainee studying for my doctorate at Manchester University. I am completing my research titled: 'USING BELIEFS TO PREDICT EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROMME' and I could very much do with some expert help!

I am using a variety of questionnaires to measure various psychosocial variables and I asking participants to ride on an exercise bike for as long as they possibly can. I am measuring the time and distance completed on the bike and I am measuring their heart rate pre-exercise, every 10 seconds during exercise and every 10 seconds after exercise for 3 minutes. I am also using the Borg Rated Perceived Exertion Scale.

I want to be able to have a measure of the participant's fitness level. I am planning on using the physiological cost index and I wanted to be able to use the resting heart rate and the time which the heart rate takes to come down as measures of fitness. I am asking for your advice of whether these measures are a reasonable way of measuring fitness. It may be worth mentioning that on the three patients that I have piloted my project on did between 27seconds and 5 minutes 30 seconds on a very low level resistance before they wanted to stop. Their heart rates did not significantly change from their R.H.R. Their beliefs centre on fear about causing themselves more damage by continuing with the exercise.

In addition, I was wanting to get some single measure of effort. As I said, I have time and distance and was wondering if you could advise me of whether I can combine these to make an effort ratio or something?

I would appreciate any help that anyone could give me. If you want to know any more about my project, please contact me at my e-mail address.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message

Amy Silver

-- Amy Silver (asilver@fs1.with.man.ac.uk), October 08, 1999