Exercise is Medicine

[The Fight for Fitness | Blake Hagen]

Yesterday I read a post called Exercise is Good Medicine from Carole Carson's blog. She talks about the "Exercise is Medicine" campaign which calls on doctors to "assess and review every patient's physical activity program at every visit."

I hadn't heard about the Exercise is Medicine movement but I was excited to learn about it. It comes from the American College of Sports Medicine and the Americal Medical Association. Here's an excerpt from a letter on their site addressed to healthcare professionals:

"The Exercise is Medicine^TM initiative is a shared vision of ACSM and AMA, designed to help improve the health and well-being of our nation through a regular physical activity prescription from doctors and other healthcare providers.

We are calling on healthcare organizations, physicians and other professionals, regardless of specialty, to assess, to advocate for, and to review every patient's physical activity program during every comprehensive visit."

Here's an excerpt from a press release from the AMA about the initiative:

"Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem in this country and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis and osteoporosis. In addition to improving a patient's overall health, increasing physical activity has proven effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease."

Hopefully the good word spreads about exercise and how it can sometimes be the best medicine for us. Check out Exercise is Medicine and see what you can do to spread the exercise love.

Get active today!

The Fight for Fitness | BlakeHagen.com