Have you ever started an exercise plan, but didn’t see the results you were hoping for?
Do you ever wonder how much time you’re supposed to spend exercising?
At Valley’s Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, our exercise specialists prescribe exercise like a doctor prescribes medicine. To achieve the results you want from exercise, there is a lot more to proper dosage than one may think. When creating an exercise routine, our specialists use the F.I.T.T principles:
- Frequency: How many times you exercise each week
- Intensity: How hard you exercise
- Time: How long you will spend exercising
- Type: The type of exercise you do
Developing a plan to achieve your goals and stay on track isn’t easy. Each of these pieces requires careful thought to align with your goals, which is why we recommend working with someone that can help to keep you on track and develop a plan for success.
How can you find the right support for you?
We always recommend working with a qualified professional that holds a degree in this specialty. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the gold standard for licensing exercise professionals and requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in an exercise or health related field. This education ensures that the person you decide to work with has a base level of knowledge in understanding how exercise can be prescribed to an individual’s lifestyle and various conditions like high pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.
Once you find someone with the right background and education, making sure you’re on the same page is crucial. This includes things like your goals, timeline, and level of commitment. Additionally, they should not start building your workout plan without first assessing your current health and fitness, setting short-term goals, and discussing what equipment you have access to or enjoy using. It’s also important that they can explain the plan and that they have a roadmap that outlines how they envision you reaching your goals. The final piece, and perhaps the most important, is to make sure they have a plan for staying accountable. Working with an exercise specialist means you’re not alone in this process, so you each hold a level of accountability to making sure you stay on track and have the tools you need to succeed.
Ready to get started? Every Exercise Specialist at Valley’s Lifestyle Medicine Clinic meets the above standards and can help you to take the guess work out of effective exercise. Fill out our interest form to connect with a Lifestyle Medicine representative and learn more about our Lifestyle 365 program.
Remember, you are not alone. We all need support when it comes to achieving our health goals, and it’s never too late to get started.
Amazing! This is so well said!