Doctors agree: Exercise is medicine

By DAN STRAYTON
As published June 18, 2008

The headline could read “Doctors want patients to self-medicate”! The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA) are teaming up to encourage doctors to get their patients more active through a campaign called Exercise is Medicine, according to a recent article in Fitness Business News, a health and fitness industry publication.

This initiative is based on the belief that, if there were a drug that offered the kinds of benefits that exercise does, every doctor would make sure that his/her patient were on it. The campaign encourages doctors to spend more time counseling their patients on exercise and prescribing exercise as treatment more often.

According to ACSM President Dr. Bob Sallis, “It’s becoming increasingly clear and well documented that exercise helps” act as treatment and preventative measure for many chronic conditions.

His goal is to get more and more physicians to monitor exercise as they would other traditional vital signs, prescribe exercise to their patients (at least 30 minutes, 5 days/week), get health insurers to reimburse health club and exercise expenses and to get doctors to practice what they preach and become more active themselves.

I don’t know whether you’ll be hearing your doctor discuss exercise options with you on your next visit but it is nice to see that someone in the medical community is making the effort. The benefits of an active lifestyle and regular exercise are so far-reaching (as I’ve preached in this column before, I’m sure) and our health care system is becoming so expensive that it is imperative that physicians work hard to motivate their patients to get moving.

Studies have shown that people are more likely to begin an exercise program when told to do so by their doctor. A personal physician can exert a lot of influence on their patients and this is one area they should take advantage of this influence and push for more exercise.

With an aging population about to severely tax our health care system and the rates of diabetes and obesity seemingly always on the rise, now is the time for a national campaign to encourage exercise for more than just cosmetic reasons. Exercise is medicine and the ACSM and AMA want you to realize it sooner rather than later.

Whether you suffer from conditions like diabetes, arthritis, low back pain, depression and heart disease or have regular troubles with low energy levels, poor mobility, and excess weight, exercise has been proven over and over again to work wonders.

The most important point to keep in mind is that it takes very little exercise to see health benefits. Regular walking and some light stretching can have marvelous effects on your energy levels, joint pain, and mobility and moderate strength training exercise can produce significant improvements in strength and flexibility.

Of course, if you are looking for significant weight loss, it will take a little more exercise and an adjustment in your eating but you’d be surprised at how little exercise it takes to start feeling better.

So, think of your exercise as “self-medicating” and get out there and start moving more – your doctor, and your body, will be glad you did! For more information about this exercise campaign, visit exerciseismedicine.org.

Good luck and keep moving!

[Dan Strayton, general manager at Health Unlimited on Century Drive in Mt. Airy, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about exercise, health and fitness. Write to him in care of the Mt. Airy Messenger, P.O. Box 897, Mt. Airy, MD 217710897; or send e-mail to dans@myhealthunlimited.com.]

Post-workout nutrition important for recovery and results

By DAN STRAYTON
As published June 4, 2008

Dear Dan,

I usually don’t feel like eating right after I workout but I’ve read that it is important to do just that. Am I missing out on anything or hurting my results by not eating after I exercise? – Ben, Mt. Airy

Dear Ben,

Ingesting a mixture of protein and carbohydrates in the time immediately after you exercise has been shown to aid in recovery from that workout and in the maintenance and creation of muscle mass (also referred to in studies as “lean tissue”) over time.

This is important for all types of exercisers from athletes hoping to improve performance to men and women looking to maintain their youthful energy and appearance to seniors hoping to maintain their health, fitness and independence.

Research has shown that it is important to ingest a combination of protein and carbohydrates within two hours of working out, preferably sooner rather than later. By doing this, we help replace the energy stores we used up and, more importantly, help our bodies repair and build muscle tissue.

A study published in The Journal of Physiology (2001) demonstrated that the ingestion of a protein supplement after exercise resulted in increased muscle mass in elderly men over a 12-week span of time. Dr. Wayne Westcott, a leading exercise researcher, recently completed another study that showed the ingestion of a protein drink (24g pro, 35g carb, 4.5 g fat, 270 cal) immediately after exercise over a 6-month period produced significantly greater results in terms of body fat lost, muscle added and inches lost than exercising without the drink.

The subjects who did not use the post-exercise drink still saw improvements in their body fat and muscle mass but they did not see nearly the same results as those who did consume the drink. Your exercise sessions can and will produce results without such a post-exercise drink but they will produce even better results with the drink.

In the past, some individuals thought the most important component in a recovery drink/meal was protein (perhaps spawning the demand for egg white omelettes across the country) since it had been shown that more protein led to more muscle. However, more recent research has shown that it is important to have a mixture of carbohydrates and protein.

The carbohydrates help our bodies absorb and utilize the protein more efficiently as well as help to replenish energy stores (glycogen) used up during exercise. You can find plenty of examples of “recovery”, or post-exercise, drinks and bars in grocery and specialty stores these days or you can use foods/drinks from your standard diet like a tuna or turkey sandwich on whole grain bread or even a nice big glass of chocolate milk (an excellent post-workout drink for those not into the protein shake thing).

Proper nutrition, both after you workout and in other parts of your day, can do much to enhance the results you will see from your exercise program. Your body needs good fuel for energy and it needs good sources of protein for muscle repair and growth. If you are living on fast food and junk food, you are undermining your exercise program.

Solid nutrition and properly timed eating can help enhance the results of most any exercise program and that is something we all want to see. So, if you cannot time your workouts to be right before a meal, bring along a snack that you can eat, or drink, when you are done. Check with your local health food store or registered dietician for more specific food choices. Good luck and keep moving!


[Dan Strayton, general manager at Health Unlimited on Century Drive in Mt. Airy, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about exercise, health and fitness. Write to him in care of the Mt. Airy Messenger, P.O. Box 897, Mt. Airy, MD 217710897; or send e-mail to dans@myhealthunlimited.com.]