Sources

Where the advice comes from

Vaskuna is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. These are the published sources behind what it tells you.

An app that suggests how much to exercise, asks health questions before a first session and says when to stop owes you where each of those comes from. Every source below was opened and read before it was listed here. The same sources are inside the app, under You.

How much activity is recommended

The World Health Organization recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and strengthen their muscles on two or more days. The same guidelines say that some activity is better than none, and to start with small amounts and build up. That is why Vaskuna starts you at forty minutes. Forty is a place to start. It is not the recommended amount.

World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Geneva: WHO; 2020.

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The safety questions before your first session

The questions follow the approach of the American College of Sports Medicine: anyone with warning signs or symptoms is asked to check with a doctor before starting, whatever their age.

Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. Updating ACSM's recommendations for exercise preparticipation health screening. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2015;47(11):2473-2479.

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When to stop

When to stop includes every sign the British Heart Foundation tells people to stop exercising for: chest pain, palpitations, dizziness and light-headedness, in plainer words. It also advises working at a level where you can still talk, and slowing down if you feel overly breathless.

British Heart Foundation. Exercising with a heart condition: finding a safe level for you. Heart Matters.

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Chest pain: call straight away

For chest pain or discomfort, the American Heart Association says not to wait: call the emergency number right away, even if you are not sure it is a heart attack.

American Heart Association. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. Last reviewed 12 December 2024.

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Safety at home

The home checklist follows the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's \"Check for Safety\", room by room, with one item of Vaskuna's own: a sturdy chair and a clear space for sessions.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults. STEADI, 2018.

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If you fall: getting up and getting help

The steps for getting up follow the NHS page on falls, in plainer words: check for pain or injury first, roll onto your side, get onto your hands and knees, and stand up slowly holding on to something stable. If you cannot get up, the NHS says to use a phone or alarm, or shout or bang on a wall or the floor, to keep warm, and to change position about every 30 minutes. It says to call 999 if you cannot get up or may have hurt your head, back, neck or hip, and to carry a phone or wear a personal alarm.

NHS. Falls. Page last reviewed 6 March 2025.

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If you fall: the stronger leg, and shuffling to a seat

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's Fall Proof! sheet gives the same way of getting up, sliding the foot of the stronger leg forward until it is flat on the floor, and a way to shuffle on your bottom to a low seat for anyone who cannot kneel.

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Fall Proof! April 2020.

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Practising getting up

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy encourages people to practise getting up from the floor. In the guides that say how, people practise with someone there or with a physiotherapist, so Vaskuna shows the steps to read and does not make them a session. The same guide says to keep cushions and blankets at floor level, and to keep drinking if you can reach a drink.

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Get up and go: a guide to staying steady. 2015.

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If you fall: after a joint replacement, and when getting up is too hard

Wye Valley NHS Trust's falls service says not to use the getting up steps within six weeks of a hip or knee replacement unless a physiotherapist has taught you, not to keep trying endlessly if you cannot get up, and to leave a key with someone you trust.

Wye Valley NHS Trust Falls Service. What to do if you have a fall.

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If you fall: resting, telling your doctor, a daily call

The US National Institute on Aging says to rest after rolling over while your body and blood pressure adjust, to tell your doctor about a fall even if it did not hurt, and to arrange daily contact with family or a friend.

National Institute on Aging. Falls and Fractures in Older Adults: Causes and Prevention. Reviewed 12 September 2022.

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If you are on the floor for a while

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust says it is all right to phone for an ambulance, to go to the toilet where you are if you need to and then roll away from the damp, and to tell someone you have fallen.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. If you fall. Leaflet 5320, September 2022.

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Helping someone who has fallen

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust says not to let anyone pull you up by your arms, which can injure the shoulders, and that it is best for a helper to bring a chair over and talk you through getting up yourself.

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. Managing following a fall. Leaflet 661, January 2024.

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Apple Watch Fall Detection

Apple says Fall Detection turns on by itself for people aged 55 and over whose age is set, that the watch starts a countdown to call for help only after about a minute without moving, that Wrist Detection must be on and a connection is needed for it to call, and that it cannot detect every fall.

Apple Support. Use Fall Detection with Apple Watch. 6 May 2026.

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Medical ID

Apple says Medical ID lets people helping you see your important medical details from the Lock screen without your passcode, once Show When Locked is on.

Apple Support. Set up your Medical ID in the Health app on your iPhone. March 2026.

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Emergency SOS

Apple's iPhone guide describes calling for help by holding the side button and a volume button, the text your emergency contacts are sent after the call, and staying on the line if you call by mistake.

Apple. iPhone User Guide. Use SOS to contact emergency services on your iPhone.

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Sore muscles after a session

Arthritis UK, formerly Versus Arthritis, says you might feel stiff and achy after exercise, that this should get better after a few days, and that it will happen less as your body gets used to exercise. That is why Vaskuna tells you about it after your first strength session.

Arthritis UK. Osteoarthritis: information and exercise sheet.

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Keep moving gently

The Physiotherapy Pain Association, a network of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, says that if muscles are sore after exercise, keep moving gently, but give yourself a chance to recover before another challenging set of exercises.

Physiotherapy Pain Association. Keeping Active.

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Pain that needs a health professional

Arthritis UK says it is normal to feel mild discomfort while you exercise and some soreness in your muscles afterwards, especially when you are just getting started. If you have much more pain, or severe pain, during or after exercise, stop and talk to a health professional. If pain, heat and swelling last more than a few days, contact your GP.

Arthritis UK. Keep Moving.

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A sore joint two hours after a session

The Arthritis Foundation's two hour pain rule: if you have more joint pain two hours after exercise than before you started, you have overdone it. Ease up next time, and see your doctor if the pain lasts beyond a few days.

Dunkin MA. How Hard Should You Work Out? Arthritis Foundation.

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A sore joint the next morning

In its advice on exercises for knee problems, NHS inform says new exercises can sometimes cause short term muscle pain, that this should ease quickly, and that your pain should be no worse the morning after you exercise. Vaskuna uses the same morning check for any sore joint.

NHS 24. Exercises for knee problems. NHS inform.

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When to see your doctor about pain

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists kinds of pain to see your doctor about. They include pain that is sharp, stabbing and constant, pain that makes you limp or gets worse at night, pain or swelling that rest does not help, and joints that are hot, red or much more swollen. This page is from the CDC archive and was last reviewed in November 2021.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Do I Do if I Have Pain During or After Exercise? Last reviewed 15 November 2021. Archived copy.

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Hot days: why heat is harder on older adults

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people aged 65 or over are more prone to health problems from heat, and more likely to take medicines that affect how the body controls its temperature or sweats. It says to drink more water than usual without waiting until you are thirsty, to ask your doctor how much to drink if they limit your fluids or you take water pills, to avoid very strenuous activity, and to have someone check on you.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat and Older Adults (Aged 65+). Heat Health. 25 June 2024.

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Hot days: shade, exercise and a cool room

The NHS lists older people and people who live alone among those most at risk in a heatwave. If you have to go out, it says to stay in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm, and to avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. It says to close curtains and blinds in the day and open them at night when it is cooler outside. That is why Vaskuna lets you swap a walking session for one indoors.

NHS. Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather. Page last reviewed 12 June 2026.

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Cold and icy days

The NHS says icy pavements and roads can be very slippery, that anyone who needs to go out in the cold should wear shoes with a good grip, and that the rooms you use should be kept warm.

NHS. Winter vaccinations and winter health. Page last reviewed 16 November 2022.

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If you take medicines: diabetes, and medicines that affect exercise

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association say that people with type 2 diabetes are unlikely to get low blood sugar from exercise unless they use insulin or certain other diabetes medicines, and that people who do may need some carbohydrate to prevent it during and after exercise. They say most other medicines do not affect exercise, apart from tablets that slow the heart rate, some water tablets and some cholesterol medicines. Vaskuna gives no amounts and asks you to check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Fernhall B, et al. Exercise and type 2 diabetes: the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association: joint position statement executive summary. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(12):2692-2696.

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If you take medicines: tablets that keep your heart rate down

Mayo Clinic says some blood pressure tablets slow the heart rate and can keep it from going up the way it usually does when you exercise, so you might never reach a target heart rate. It suggests judging how hard you are working by the effort, your breathing and how tired you get, and says that if you cannot talk while you exercise, you are likely working too hard.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise? Mayo Clinic. 20 December 2023.

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If you take medicines: dizziness from blood pressure tablets

The British Heart Foundation says it is not unusual to feel dizzy or lightheaded when you first take blood pressure medicines, or when the dose goes up. It suggests moving slowly from sitting to standing, speaking to your doctor or pharmacist about side effects, and not stopping a medicine without talking to a doctor first.

Goss R. What side effects can you get with blood pressure tablets? British Heart Foundation, Heart Matters. 24 April 2026.

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If you take medicines: blood thinners and bruising

The British Heart Foundation says blood thinners can make you bruise more easily, or worse than usual, when you knock yourself. It says to speak to your doctor about bruising that persists and comes with other symptoms, and to get medical care for bruising with other bleeding, such as nosebleeds or bleeding gums.

Goss R. Can blood-thinners make you bruise more easily? British Heart Foundation, Heart Matters. Updated 24 April 2026.

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Vaskuna is not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, monitor or prevent any condition, and nothing in it is medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting new exercise, and stop and seek medical help if you notice chest pain or tightness, severe breathlessness, dizziness, or a racing heartbeat.