Whenever you read about exercising, you often see the caution from an author about talking to your physician before you start any exercise program. This is sound advice, as long as you don’t take it too far. Because of this common caution, many people seem to think that physicians are experts on exercise. That isn’t usually the case.
Most physicians are trained in working with diseases and how to cure them. They don’t know much more about putting together a proper exercise program than the average, educated adult.
If you have an existing medical condition, or you’ve been told you have certain risk factors (such as: being a smoker, or being excessively overweight) you definitely should talk to your physician before you start an exercise program. But, talking to them, and getting exercise program advice from them, are two different things.
If you have a good physician, he or she will probably give you clearance to exercise and tell you if there is anything you need to be careful about. They may suggest you have an exercise physiologist or an experienced trainer design and supervise a sensible program. If you have a severe medical condition, they may suggest that you join a supervised exercise program such as a cardiac rehab program at a medical facility or hospital.
It seems to me that too many people use the need for talking to their physician as an excuse for not starting an exercise program. They just can’t find the time for an appointment, or they don’t want to pay for an extra visit. Well, if you’re generally in good health and see your physician for regular check ups, you probably don’t need to check in with them before starting an exercise program. Of course if it’s been a long time since you did any exercise, you’re over 65, or you have a specific medical condition, it sure would make sense to at least call your physician and tell them what you want to do.
In almost all cases, the benefits of a sensible exercise program far outweigh the precautions you may need to take. So:
- check in with your physician if it’s necessary,
- have a professional design a sensible program for you, and
- start doing some exercising on a regular basis
Online fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site “fitness-after-50”. He has a master’s degree in exercise physiology and over 20 years of practical exercise experience.
This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to fitness-after-50.com [http://www.fitness-after-50.com/]
