Exercise readiness screen
Last reviewed
Three quick checks before you start anything
Before starting any movement or exercise plan with a post-viral condition, three things are worth checking: red-flag symptoms that need a clinician first, post-exertional malaise (PEM), and a couple of conditions that change how you should approach activity. This screen walks through all three in a few minutes, then points you to the page that fits your situation.
Your answers are stored on this device only and never sent anywhere.
Your previous screen
1 Red flags
Do any of these apply to you?
- Chest pain or pressure during or after activity
- Fainting, or coming close to fainting, on exertion
- Breathlessness that is out of proportion to the effort involved
- A known heart condition, or a family history of sudden cardiac death
- Cardiac findings after COVID-19 (such as myocarditis or pericarditis) that have not been signed off as resolved
- If you have a pulse oximeter: oxygen saturation that drops on exertion
2 Post-exertional malaise
PEM is a delayed, disproportionate worsening of symptoms after physical or mental effort, usually starting hours to a day later and lasting a day or more. Whether you have it changes which approach is safer for you.
The most reliable option is the 3-minute DSQ-PEM questionnaire. Take it, then come back to this page: your result is picked up automatically. Or answer from what you already know:
If you are not sure, the screen treats you as if PEM is present. That is the cautious default, and you can retake this screen after doing the DSQ-PEM.
3 Two conditions worth flagging
These do not block anything. They add notes to the later pages, because they change how activity should be approached.
Please talk to your clinician first
You ticked at least one red flag. These symptoms and findings need a clinician's assessment before you start any exercise or movement plan, including gentle ones. That is not a prediction that something is wrong. It is the standard, sensible order to do things in.
Bring specifics if you can: what brings the symptom on, how long it lasts, and any readings you have. The NASA lean test guide and the site's symptom diary can help you build that record.
This result is saved on this device, and the exercise progression page will point back here. When your clinician has cleared you, retake this screen.
Your route: pacing first
With PEM present or possible, the approach with the least risk of harm is working within your energy envelope, not progressive exercise. The pacing guide covers the energy envelope, a heart rate ceiling you can use as a rough guardrail, and gentle movement that carries no progression target. The structured progression guide is not offered on this route, because progressive training plans assume the payback pattern of PEM is absent.
Your route: both pages are open
No red flags, and your answers do not indicate PEM. Both pages below are available to you. Starting with pacing is still recommended: a week or two of logging with a heart rate ceiling gives you a baseline, and the progression page works better once that habit exists.
If your situation changes, or symptoms start flaring after activity, retake this screen. PEM can develop or resolve over time.
About this screen
This screen is an information filter, not a medical assessment. It cannot detect problems you did not report, and it does not replace a clinician's judgement. If you are in doubt about your readiness for activity, ask your GP or specialist, and bring your symptom records with you.