August 5th, 2010 
RJS KOCHHAR 
EXERCISE BY PRESCRIPTION
The value of exercise is no secret – who needs a prescription? Seven out of ten Americans are inactive, getting fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity most days. Non-exercisers cite a lack of time, energy, knowledge, and motivation. Exercise by referral draws on a doctor’s authority to push physical activity. It targets a population that doesn’t already exercise, teaching its value as a preventive measure, before injury or illness forces them into physical therapy, or into a hospital bed. It’s simply doctor-given recommendations for the frequency and intensity of workouts.
There’s no real way to monitor a patient’s exercise habits, and no doctor can punish a patient for not taking his medicine. But the idea here is to foster a mindset in which general practitioners ask about and recommend exercise to every patient as part of a holistic wellness plan. They use the solid research facts that show exercise improves health and prevents chronic illness. Exercise is a remedy for stress relief, improving self-esteem and mental well-being. Exercise makes your immune system strong. It’s an easy and rewarding solution to many ailments and can be more effective than medication or surgery, plus it’s cheaper! It costs nothing to fill a prescription for exercise.
Exercise by prescription first gained importance in the 1990s as a U.K. policy to combat physical inactivity. Lately advocates for United States healthcare reform are embracing the idea, as they call for prevention and individual accountability in a new healthcare system. It’s easier to insure people who meet standards of activity. According to the U.S. Department on Health and Human Services, 75 percent of health care costs stem from preventable chronic conditions like hypertention, obesity, and Type II Diabetes. One-third of all deaths result from smoking, physical inactivity, and poor eating habits – all modifiable behaviors where exercise can be a solution to help improving their conditions.
The workplace is another great way to reach people. Many leading businesses are investing more and more in programs focused on wellness and prevention. While the cost of illness is very high – not just direct medical costs and disability, but lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover – the price of wellness is relatively low. Potential downsides to this method include privacy concerns and the inherent problem in making people responsible for their health behavior.
Prescribing exercise is the first step – to making the order work. Many doctors who practice prescribing exercise can direct you to an appropriate class or trainer. The main catch is to stay motivated with your aim after the doctor has delivered the prescription for physical activity.
As many doctors and patients begin to focus on preventative medicine and healthier ways of life, exercise by prescription may bring about the change in the health lives of Americans. With the proper support and motivation, the prescription does work.
HAVE YOU TRIED EXERCISING BY PRESCRIPTION?
It’s a great concept. We humans have a tendency to follow a routine well when it has been prescribed by an authority, in this case a physician, otherwise we push even our health concerns at back burner making an excuse for ourselves that we keep too busy to even take out 30 minutes to one hour for the sake of our health. Try getting a prescription for exercise and follow it, and I hope you will soon find the much required change in your health and fitness.
Do put up your comments on what do you do to follow a regular health and fitness regime to keep yourself healthy and fit.
If you like this post and want to have top health tips, fitness tips, health care tips and fitness regime tips, you can subscribe to FREE Health n Fitness Care feed via EMAIL to get instant updates on health and fitness information.
This is a guest post by William Sands who represents a large fitness center called Chicago gym.
If you want to contribute an article as a guest writer for Health n Fitness Care, please visit here.
