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Fitness Prescription - Would You Comply?
Posted on Apr 29th 2009 4:00PM by Jacki DonaldsonFiled Under: Fitness
There are plenty of reasons why I feel guilty when I skip out on exercise. But as a breast cancer survivor, I know that regular vigorous exercise can cut my chance of recurrence by something crazy like 30 percent. So, ditching the workouts, for me, is like rejecting a potent dose of medicine. I've essentially been given a prescription for exercise, and when I don't log my hours, I feel like I'm denying myself a life-saving treatment.Doctors never told me exercise could save my life -- I figured it out on my own after reading up on breast cancer research. But there is some merit to doctors doling out fitness prescriptions. According to one study, more than half of patients who were prescribed physical activity were more active a year later, which is maybe why some researchers urge physicians to hand out exercise recommendations, just like they do prescriptions for drugs. And just like they do with their hand-written scripts, docs should advise patients about what type of exercise to do, how often, how hard and for how long.
Clearly, we all need a push now and then when it comes to fitness. And for those who have a hard time saying no to authority, or who need to know their health depends on a certain exercise routine, prescriptions might be the way to go.
What do you think: Would you follow your doctor's exercise orders? Do you think you could write your own prescription for fitness?
