Exercise Is Medicine

Abstract

There is overwhelming evidence in the scientific and medical literature that physical inactivity is a major public health problem with a wide array of harmful effects. Over 50% of health status can be attributed to unhealthy behaviors with smoking, diet, and physical inactivity as the main contributors. Exercise has been used in both the treatment and prevention of a variety of chronic conditions such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, and obesity. While the negative effects of physical inactivity are widely known, there is a gap between what physicians tell their patients and exercise compliance. Exercise is Medicine was established in 2007 by the American College of Sports Medicine to inform and educate physicians and other health care providers about exercise as well as bridge the widening gap between health care and health fitness. Physicians have many competing demands at the point of care, which often translates into limited time spent counseling patients. The consistent message from all health care providers to their patients should be to start or to continue a regular exercise program. Exercise is Medicine is a solution that enables physicians to support their patients in implementing exercise as part of their disease prevention and treatment strategies.

National Survey of Fitness Trends in Greece for 2021

“…Additionally, these outcomes corroborate the majority of the literature showing that 25%-35% of top 20 fitness trends are associated with exercise training for special populations and thus health-related trends systematically gain popularity in the global fitness industry [14,[16][17][18]. Taking these findings into account, it seems that the local fitness industry supports the scientific evidence underlining the critical role of structured exercise in health, performance and quality of life of individuals suffered from chronic conditions [34], including adults [35], and children with obesity [36] as well as elderly [37] and persons who regularly exercise in a clinical setting [13]. Specifically, our results may indicate that obesity and aging as two sides of the same coin promoting numerous comorbidities and age-related chronic conditions [38] appear to be attractive areas for the Greek fitness industry stakeholders.…”

Effectiveness of “Reducing Disability in Alzheimer’s Disease” Among Dyads With Moderate Dementia

“…RDAD-KC PWDs increased their average number of minutes of physical activity from baseline to follow-up, reaching levels recommended by the World Health Organization for older adults (World Health Organization, 2020). These findings are important because physical activity has shown to be effective in both the treatment and prevention of a variety of chronic conditions and disability (Thompson et al, 2020). In our study, physical activity was not associated with any other caregiver or PWD mental health outcome.…”

Considerations for Maximizing the Exercise “Drug” to Combat Insulin Resistance: Role of Nutrition, Sleep, and Alcohol

“…Numerous diseases involve muscle dysfunction and wasting, including alcohol use disorders [ 155 ]. In addition, exercise is increasingly prescribed to promote healthy aging [ 156 ] and as disease intervention [ 157 ]. For example, resistance training in older adults with T2DM shows specific metabolic and general health benefits such as reductions in plasma HbA1 c , systolic blood pressure, and diabetes prescription doses along with increases in muscle glycogen stores and lean body mass [ 158 ].…”