Is exercise the elixir for good health?
Sure, exercise is good for you, and increasingly, it’s being prescribed to treat a range of chronic conditions and illnesses. So, can exercise really be medicine?
As something that can help maintain good health, physical activity has its own set of official guidelines around how much we should all try to squeeze in each week.
But back in 2007, courtesy of the American College of Sports Medicine and emerging evidence showing just how effective targeted physical activity can be as an antidote to a wide range of health problems, exercise got an upgrade.
The idea that “exercise is medicine” was born.
“Building on the understanding that meeting the physical activity guidelines is good for general health and wellbeing, exercise is medicine is about using exercise to prevent, treat and manage chronic health conditions, based on what research has shown to be effective,” Exercise is Medicine Australia project officer Juliana Mahon says.
“And as an initiative, Exercise is Medicine is about encouraging healthcare providers to acknowledge how effective exercise can be and to refer people living with those chronic health conditions to see an accredited exercise physiologist to get an exercise prescription.”
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What conditions can exercise treat?
On the Exercise is Medicine Australia website, factsheets outline the evidence-backed role exercise can play in the prevention, treatment and management of more than 40 health conditions, everything from asthma and arthritis to breast cancer, high blood pressure and depression.
Dr Erin Howden is the co-lead of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute’s Physical Activity Program, and says the list of conditions that exercise can be prescribed for is extensive.
“We still don’t completely understand why exercise is beneficial for so many conditions,” Dr Howden says.
“When we exercise, there’s a whole host of different things occurring in our body – it’s a very integrative response from increasing blood flow and exercising muscles, to creating energy in the cells within the muscles, as well as signalling back and forward between the muscles, brain and other organs.
“And the other powerful thing about exercise is that while some medications will focus on, for example, lowering blood pressure via one mechanism, with exercise you get much better value as there are multiple pathways that can be impacted by exercise and result in lowering blood pressure.”
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How to use exercise as medicine
While doing at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and two strength-training sessions a week means you’re meeting the recommended exercise guidelines for adults, improving a specific health condition with exercise is more prescriptive than that.
“What exercise as medicine aims to do is to think about what is the actual dose and type, or in other words the prescription of exercise that’s needed to elicit a particular health outcome,” says Dr Howden.
Juliana says that, as well as being dependent on a specific health condition, that prescription will differ from person to person.
“As well as targeting exercises to best treat the different aspects of a particular health condition, an exercise prescription will also take someone’s individual health circumstances and their personal goals into account.”
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Who can prescribe an exercise program?
“Exercise physiologists are university qualified to treat and prescribe exercise for chronic health conditions,” Juliana says.
“Getting a referral from your GP to see one can be a good way to start the ball rolling.”
On top of the fact that some people will require clearance from their GP before embarking on an exercise program, getting a referral to see an exercise physiologist may mean some consultations are covered by Medicare.
You can also contact and book an appointment with an exercise physiologist directly.
Use the search function available on the Exercise & Sports Science Australia website to find one near you.
“And remember that, as well as not being scared of getting started, it’s never too late to begin exercising,” Juliana says.
“The health benefits of exercise really can be enjoyed at any age.”
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For more on the latest health and wellness trends, check out the latest episode of House of Wellness TV – back for 2022 on Channel 7 on Fridays and Sundays.
Written by Karen Fittall.
