Happiness Medicine: Exercise
In June, the Exercise is Medicine™ (EIM) World Congress gathered delegates from more than 50 countries with the united goal of building a healthier world. The idea for the Exercise is Medicine™ World Congress stemmed from the 2007 Health and Fitness Summit. The EIM group is a collaboration on the part of the American Medical Association and the American College of Sports Medicine. Their goals include:
-Building social responsibility
-Promoting healthy living
-Assisting people with living happier, healthier lives
-Building healthy communities
-Promoting public policies that support healthy living
By focusing on the positivity of exercise as a way to improve health and happiness, reduce reliance on medication, and increase the quality of life, the EIM hopes to shift the mentality among multiple generations to make exercise cool.
EIM’s mission is to encourage “primary care physicians and other health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients or to refer the patient to a qualified health and fitness or other allied health care professional for exercise counseling. Exercise is Medicine is committed to the belief that exercise and physical activity are integral in the prevention and treatment of diseases and should be regularly assessed as part of all medical care.”
Dr. Bob Sallis, chairman of EIM, explains, “Exercise and physical activity are critical to health and necessary for the prevention and treatment of virtually all chronic disease. The goal is to make exercise the most widely prescribed drug in the world! The world needs it.” Sallis, continues, “Exercise is indeed medicine. As a family physician, why am I not prescribing this to every patient?”
Exercise is Medicine™ calls itself a “scientific merging of the Health Care and Fitness industry.” The group promotes research-based evidence that demonstrates the benefits of exercise, in an attempt to overcome what they call “an epidemic of inactivity.” Those who do not exercise regularly are more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
Shadra Bruce is a contributing writer for Mental Health News.