Physical inactivity affects the health not only of many obese Patients, but also people of normal weight, Such as workers with desk jobs, Patients immobilized for long periods after injuries or surgery, and women on extended bed rest during pregnancies, Among others, Dr. Joyner says. "I would argue That physical inactivity is the root cause of many of the common problems That we have," Dr. Joyner says. "If we were to medicalize it, We Could then develop a way, just like we've done for addiction, cigarettes and other things, to give people treatments, and lifelong treatments, that focus on behavioral modifications and physical activity. And then we can take public health measures, like we did for smoking, drunken driving and other things, to limit physical inactivity and promotes physical activity. " Several chronic medical conditions are associated with poor capacity to exercise, Including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, better known as POTS, a syndrome marked by an excessive heart rate and flu-like symptoms when standing or a given level of exercise . Too Often, medication rather than progressive exercise is prescribed, Dr. Joyner says. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Researchers found That three months of exercise training can reverse or improv many POTS symptoms, Dr. Joyner notes. That study offers hope for Such Patients and physicians should shows That Consider carefully monitored exercise before prescribing medication, he says. If physical inactivity were treated as a medical condition rather than simply Itself a cause or byproduct of other medical conditions, physicians may Become more aware of the value of prescribing exercise supported, and more formal rehabilitation programs include cognitive and behavioral That therapy would develop, Dr . Joyner says. For Those WHO have been sedentary and are Trying to get into exercise, Dr. Joyner advises doing it SLOWLY and Progressively. "You just do not jump right back into it and try to train for a marathon," he says. "Start off with achievable goals and do it in small bites." There's no need to join a gym or get a personal trainer: build as much activity as possible into daily life. Even just walking 10 minutes three times a day can go a long way toward working up to the 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity the typical adult needs, Dr. Joyner says.
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