Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Exercise Is Medicine
Justyn K. Gray
Author Note
Abstract
For years people have been wondering where exercise is medicine. We exercise everyday
as we live our daily lives. We walk to class, walk around our jobs, walk to the grocery store. We
all participate into some form of exercise some way or another. If exercise was the way for us to
stay healthy and as well as treat our diseases with no side effects that would be a better
alternative. Once we implement exercise as medication we have to take the steps to get people to
do it and provide a way for people to gain knowledge on the subject of exercise. This report
provides perspectives of different subjects on the topic and how they believe exercise is the way
to go as long as it is properly introduced and incentives towards the patients. Also provides the
challenges it could come across with companies these days being against the healthy lifestyle.
Exercise Is Medicine
Background
These days, not enough people know of the importance of exercise and the long-term
effects it could have on the body. Some people do not know that exercise could be beneficial to
their bodies in preventing disease. Some professionals believe that exercise does keep the body
healthy, but it has no effects on preventing or treating diseases and other problems. Others are
just not educated on the right amount of exercise as they tend to over workout. Some people have
tried to prove the importance of exercise and others have not begun to touch on the subject. With
all the benefits that come with exercise; does it prove to be a better alternative than prescribed
medications.
Exercise science is a very interesting major that includes many routes. You can take a
route between nursing, physical therapy, athletic training, and even a doctor. All of these
directions still run into the same problem of exercise and whether or not people get enough of it.
It deals with the discussion on medicines and its effects on the body. Exercise keeps us healthy
and helps with the prevention of diseases’ but it can be more. Exercise could also enter the
category of treating our diseases. That is a hard statement to make, but it is true that exercise
could be a better alternative than some prescribed medications. Could there be a push for patients
to buy running shoes instead of pill planners. If there was a possibility that exercise could be
“just as effective as what’s in people’s medicine cabinets (Hannam)” would you take it that
chance. The implementing of exercise as a way of medication could also promote healthier
Once someone is diagnosed with an illness or is involved in an injury the first thing given
to the patient is medication. The medication is not always the best solution though. Sometimes
Exercise is Medicine 4
medicine does more damage on a body than the actual injury or disease. What if there was a way
to prevent and treat disease with little to no side effects. Here’s a question from Dr. Bob Sallis a
family physicians “If there were one drug that prevented and treated dozens of diseases and
taking it had zero negative side effects, would you take it? (Hannah).” Now think about another
obese individual, adult with inflammation or arthritis, exercise or physical activity has been used
as a replacement for prescribed medication. Resulting no side effects, exercise has been
substituted for prescribed medications by physicians, athletic trainers, rehabilitation centers, and
physical therapist. Dr. Bob Sallis says, “Doctors are able to refer an obese patient to a specialist
for bariatric surgery but not to a fitness professional (Hannah).” After convincing people that
exercise is a viable solution there is another another complication. Doctors do not believe in the
power of physical activity over medication. Once the problem is taken care of “The complicated
part is how to get people to do it (Russel).” The Canadian health care professionals are searching
for the solution. Every question comes with one complication after another. Professional also
have to answer the question that how much exercise is too much exercise. Studies show that too
much exercise could be harmful to the body so doctors need to be educated on this risk to secure
the safety of their patients. According to the physical activity guidelines “30 minutes a day of
is the proper amount of exercise. Is exercise considered medicine and is it a better alternative?
Method
For this research I not only needed evidence from a web based resources, but as well as
the perspective from someone who specializes in the field. I interviewed Professor Bret Wood a
lecturer of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Kinesiology Department. His primary
Exercise is Medicine 5
area of expertise is athletic medicine and healthcare. Along with the interview I sit in on
Professor Bret Wood’s Introduction to Kinesiology class. In a face to face interview he provided
me with some insight on some question regarding the topic of is physical activity an adequate
substitute for some medications. Professor Wood made clear that Exercise “could be used as
medication, but in correlation with prescribed medication” meaning physical activity could not
do it alone. Some chronic disease can not simply be treated by a good diet and exercising, but
others like high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes are good canidates.
Professor Wood also touched on the steps and the potential side effects of implementing
people who have to most knowledge on the subject. Physicians would be the ones who are in
power.” Physicians who have more knowledge on exercise would have to stand up and say you
need to exercise more. They would have to educate us on the importance and introduce us to the
concept of exercising and how it could prevent and treat what ails us today. Along with the
education aspect of it comes the incentive aspect of it. Professor Wood shed light on the fact that
“ Medication comes with an incentive for people, as long as you take what they give you we are
going to pay for it”. People love the cheap and free stuff, so when we hear that they are giving us
a prescription for something that they are going to pay for as well it helps you with little to no
effort at all to take we are all for it. When we hear “you need to exercise if you want to get
better” then chances are we are not going to follow that order. Professor Wood made a point that
if they were to “provide an incentive such as paying for your gym membership or giving you a
discount on your copay if you provide proof that you attended the gym you would probably
exercise then. Let’s face it if you told a 65 year old obese man with high blood pressure to
Exercise is Medicine 6
exercise he probably will not do it.” He made a good point which is why a step would be to
Professor Wood also provided information on the careers who would be affected such as
physicians who prescribe the medication and a spike in the need for people who specialize in
physical activity such as Fitness Trainers. With physical activity interfering with prescribing of
medication that might cause a problem with pharmaceutical companies. As Professor Wood
stated, “No big companies would be affected because they would definitely fight the replacement
of their product. The companies do not make commercials that say “you can take my medicine,
but you could also just exercise.” They would definitely be against the change because that
would mess with their profits. I asked Professor Wood how we could increase the awareness and
knowledge on exercise and he simply responded “ The physicians”. As he stated earlier the
physicians have the power to educate people because we listen to the more powerful and
educated people. I also asked a question regarding fast food chains which you may not think has
something to do with it but it does. With our faced paced society “We would rather drive through
a fast food line than get out of our car and get a little exercise to walk into a restaurant or grocery
store” Professor Wood stated. If physicians were to preach physical activity that comes with a
healthier lifestyle as I stated earlier. More exercise means healthier eating meaning less money
for fast food chains. “People are very lazy and we utilize apps like doordash, postmates, and
ubereats to get our food directly to our door” said Professor Wood. Physical activity could be a
good alternative when you are educated and you get the right motivation to do the physical
activity.
Results
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The sources match in which they all mention that physical activity is the way to go. It has
no side effects and it ultimately is better for your body. For instance in the interview Professor
Wood described how the physicians “ are the most educated on the topic” so we should start with
them. In the CMAJ article the solution could be “as simple as a health care professional taking a
few moments to say, “How often are you exercising?” or “How often are you physically active?”
according to Yungblut”(Russell). They both gave reason for if physical activity would be
implemented as a medicine and its first step to implement. Also how the Best Health article and
CMAJ article introduce exercise as “intervention that can prevent and treat dozens of
diseases”(Russell). Results state that physical activity could be prescribed along with medication.
As long as people receive an incentive they would be willing to exercise for their own well
being. They also agree in the challenging parts of the statement and the change. The process
would be very difficult because you can not make people do the exercise. You can tell them it is
good for them, but in reality it is going to take extra steps to make people want to do it. The basic
solution is educate the next generations of physicians to encourage exercise before pulling out a
prescription pad.Since the older generations have not been taught the importance of it when they
were younger they will not go against their teachings. Once the younger generations are taught to
ask about physical activity first they steps have begun to encourage a healthier living. The U.S.
economy is also ran by big corporations so if physicians encouraging exercise and healthy living
that lightens the pockets of these big corporations such as fast food chains and pharmaceutical
companies. I would definitely encounter criticism, but encouraging people to exercise and eat
well along with taking their medicine will prevent and treat chronic disease.
In the discipline you learn that you should always keep an open mind and sometimes the
answer is right in front of you. When they think prescribed medication is the way to go when
Exercise is Medicine 8
there is a safer and possibly cheaper alternative that we happen to do everyday. When we walk to
class, stores, or around your workplace you are exercising. In this field you learn that you can not
mix up wording. Such as is physical activity a form of medication and can physical activity
replace medication. Physical activity may help with some ailments, but not them all. It may not
be able to do it on its own but in correlation with prescribed medicine maybe we can cut back on
the amount prescribed medicine produced, sold, and consumed. Some articles that were
recommended was Canadian Medical Association Journal, it spoke not that physical activity was
medication because it was already decided to be true. It spoke on the steps that would need to be
taken to encourage people to exercise and too encourage people to ask their physicians who
should be able to help. The JAMA network article doesn’t necessarily pick a side, but goes on to
explain that if physical activity were to be used as medication to make sure we are educated right
to be helpful and not harmful. They provide that education that we all need on the guidelines for
They take that first step into educating you if you want to dig deep into it. I learned that exercise
is very important and everyone whether it is a physician or common citizen. Everyone needs
wording and introducing it as working in correlation with medication and not in replacement of
medicine.
Conclusion
Can physical activity work together with medicine to heal and treat what we go through
today? In conclusion medicine would definitely be a good alternative for some medications
depending on the chronic disease. Diseases like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Exercise is Medicine 9
Physicians should definitely start to introduce exercise to their patients. Instead of having to run
to a pharmacy we run to a gym. Instead of going to a fast food restaurant we go to the grocery
store and buy food to cook. As this younger generation of physicians go through school we
should teach them on the importance of exercise and how to inform your patients on how to
correctly. Teach them to not hesitate to ask their patients if they are getting enough
exercise.Second we have to provide incentives for the patients. Otherwise people would not do it
because we live in a lazy society so people need that little push to exercise. As Professor Wood
stated “paying for your gym membership or giving you a discount on your copay if you provide
proof that you attended the gym.”Once we take these steps exercise would be one of the best
ways to treat and prevent diseases with no side effects. When you have the option to do
something that was cheaper better for you in the long run and prevent and treat multiple diseases
at a time it would be a eye opener for the medical field. It would also create a spike in a need for
This information might affect someone to pursue this major more because of their beliefs
in the importance of exercise. When they believe and have witnessed what exercise could do for
a human body they would be enthused to learn more of what exercise could do for your body. In
conclusion physical activity will make its way into doctor's office. That would be the first thing
considered instead of running to the pharmacy and prescription pad. It all depends on physicians
and their willingness to ask a patient about their amount of physical activity.
Exercise is Medicine 10
References
Eijsvogels, T., & Thompson, P. (2015). Exercise Is Medicine: At Any Dose? JAMA,
Hannam, L. (2017, May 18). Can Exercise Replace Medication for What Ails You?
exercise/