Doctor’s orders…
When we go see the doctor, we expect advice on how to stay healthy, right? Well, now doctors’ orders might include one more thing: regular exercise! Recently, the American Medical Association teamed with the American College of Sports Medicine to launch “Exercise Is Medicine”, an initiative aimed at encouraging doctors to “assess and review every patient’s physical activity program at every visit”.
I think this is a great step for promoting healthy behaviors. Even though doctors have a lot of ground to cover in a very short exam visit, having them stress the importance of establishing healthy habits can be a very effective reminder to get moving. Research shows that regular and consistent exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. Here are a few reminders of why regular exercise is so important. Getting sweaty will: - Improve your mood.
- Help manage your weight.
- Reduce risk of heart disease (a leading cause of death in the US).
- Reduce risk for many chronic diseases (like diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, etc)
- Reduce pain.
- Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
- And reduce hospitalizations and future doctor visits!
So, it seems like the recommendation for exercise might be the updated version of “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Like I said, I am glad to see that advice on physical activity is getting top billing for doctor visits and hopefully the message will get through.
What do you think? Will having your doctor talk to you about physical activity and giving you a 30 minute sweat prescription make you more likely to be active? - Dr. Z Labels: Exercise, Health
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