Exercise is Medicine

Good article. Sometimes we forget!!!

By Lara Price, Professional Fitness Trainer at Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch.

Behavior is the number one factor we can control that influences our health and longevity. Each of us must make a decision to be active. Dr. Kenneth Cooper says that physical inactivity has become the greatest public health problem of the 21st century.

The benefits of exercise are unprecedented. Exercise helps to prevent diabetes, hypertension, cancer (particularly, breast and colon cancer), depression, osteoporosis, dementia, chronic disease, and premature death. It helps control your weight, which can contribute to a list of other diseases and issues that are preventable.

If there was one medication available that could cure all chronic diseases and the cause of obesity, chances are there would be a long line of people at physician offices asking for this miracle drug. The bad news, no such pill exists. The good news, exercise done regularly, can in fact treat and prevent diseases.

Dr. Tedd Mitchell, CEO and President of Cooper Clinic, says no pill or substance can produce as many health dividends as physical activity can. Prescribing exercise as medicine is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective medicines around.

The idea of prescribing exercise as medicine has been practiced at Cooper Clinic for 40 years and is considered standard in preventive care. Many organizations have organized initiatives to raise awareness of this issue. For example, Dr. Bob Sallis former president of the American College of Sports Medicine is the chairman of the Exercise Is Medicine™ initiative. This program aims to encourage physicians and health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients.

The recommended amount of exercise to stay healthy is 150 minutes a week of moderate to intense exercise. Moderate intense activities get your heart rate up and should be done continually for 10 minutes. Activities include jogging, swimming, bike riding, water aerobics, ballroom dancing, baseball, and doubles tennis.

So at your next annual exam, your physician may ask about your current exercise program. If your exercise program is less than 30 minutes a day and you have an elevated blood pressure and lipid panel, exercise may be on your list of prescribed medications.