Would you listen to fitness advice from your doc?

I don't know about you but I have found that many GPs just don't take very good care of themselves. I've seen many at the studio personally and most are so freakin' busy they don't even have time to drink water through their day. God bless them for working so hard to care for their patients but the reality is that they are just like most other overly stressed, busy, multitasking people out there.

And the truth is that they aren't actually experts in fitness. It's not their job to be up on the latest research into what is best for people in terms of exercise prescription, not to mention they just don't have to singular focus like a fitness geek like me.

So when I came across this article in the Globe and Mail:
Written prescriptions for exercise get people moving

I thought it was pretty cool that doctors are considering this type of thing in their practice. But I also know that most doctors don't present the picture of balance themselves and struggle like normal people in staying active and keeping weight off. Am I wrong here people?

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"It’s called an exercise prescription. “It’s very similar to any prescription. It’s a specific dose of exercise, individualized to the patient and signed off by the doctor,” says Dr. Robert Petrella, assistant director of the Lawson Health Research Institute and a University of Western Ontario professor who holds chairs in aging and health.

Dr. Petrella’s research reveals that the exercise prescription is a powerful and effective way to improve people’s health. “We know it is effective. We’ve proven it using sophisticated measures of cardiovascular health,” he says."

If his research is reliable, then all I can say is awesome! Exercise AND weight loss is one of the best treatments for so many chronic illnesses like diabetes, depression, heart disease, cancer, you name it.

But to all those doctors out there who are going to jump on this very progressive band wagon, people are going to listen to you more when you walk the talk. And let's face it, we need as many working healthy reliable doctors as we can get in this country. So take your own advice!!!! And don't be afraid to admit you don't know everything about the current developments in exercise prescription. I'm sure many cutting edge trainers would be happy to give you the low down.

Jane