If doctors want to get inactive adults up and moving a formal, prescribing exercise might just do the trick. These prescriptions work according to the unique new research out of Spain.

Mainstream medicine has mostly ignored the idea of writing prescriptions for exercise, favoring instead surgical procedures or pharmaceutical approaches to keep patients healthy.

The researchers trained 56 Spanish family doctors on how to write custom exercise prescriptions for their inactive patients.

These doctors gave more than 2,200 adults exercise prescriptions that were specific to each patient. As a control for the study, the physician’s didn’t give exercise prescriptions to 2,070 other inactive adults.

Six months later, the patients who’d been given the prescriptions for exercise reported they’d been more physically active than those who hadn’t gotten the unique type of prescription.

These effects are considered clinically relevant.

Clearly vague advice to “get more active” doesn’t do the trick; but rather a personalized exercise routine, written in prescription form, just for them can have an impact and get patients up and moving.

Just as doctors do with prescriptions for medication in pill form, prescriptions for exercise need to have details to be worthwhile.

Why does exercise help? How do I get started? Is being active safe for me? Details about the type of exercise, how often it should be done, and goals for the patient are all important parts of any prescription.

By doing this, the recommendation stands as a physical reminder of the advice, and has an added something extra because your doctor took the time to write it down.

Past research has shown clearly that those who stay active and fit live longer and healthier lives than those who are more sedentary, and this holds true not matter how old you are, no matter what race you belong to, whether you’re male or female or no matter what the environment around you is like.

Of the three things that your doctor will tell you have the most impact on your health and longevity – genetics, environment and how we behave – behaviors are the things most under our own control.

And while this research is out of Spain, the results may well take hold in the United States.

Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, who is the spokeswoman for the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine campaign says of the prescriptions for exercise in the U.S. “It’s just in its embryonic phase.” In fact, Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles, California is testing a prescription for exercise program right now.

Part of why prescribing exercise is rare in the U.S. may be because many doctors don’t have any training in physical activity or nutrition, not to mention how to set up exercise programs.

In the research training was provided for the physicians, and that would likely help U.S. doctors as well.

Next just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on why you could expect doctors to be prescribing exercise in the future, plus get 5 free fantastic health reports.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

All too often when women think of strength training, their mind is automatically filled with images of huge women who look like football players. They don’t usually think of fit, sexy, feminine women. That’s a shame, because strength training is the ultimate way for a woman to build a sexy body with low body fat. Yes, strength training will help decrease your body fat levels. I won’t dive into the science behind the “why strength training” for women. Instead, I will simply tell you the best way to go about strength training and how you can get the best results in the least amount of time.

1. Use total body workouts or upper/lower splits. There is no reason to use a traditional bodybuilding split where you work different muscle groups on different days. Total body workouts or upper/lower splits are the only splits you will ever need. They allow you to work your muscle groups more frequently and they are more practical. If you use total body workouts, you should train three days per week on non-consecutive days. If you use upper/lower splits, you can train three or four days per week.
2. Use big, compound movements. The majority of your exercises should be movements that require a lot of muscle mass. Some examples include squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, overhead presses, dumbbell and barbell presses, rows with dumbbells and cable machines, chin-ups, dips, planks, and all their variations. These are the exercises that will help you build a lean, sexy body that can actually function in the real work. In fact, these are the only exercises you will ever need to build the body you desire.
3. Going with number two, do not use machines. Just stay away from them. You will build a better body (aesthetically and functionally) doing bodyweight exercises or using dumbbells and barbells. Also, machines force you to use a fixed path, and your body does not operate that way. Machines can actually be harmful if they force you in a path your body wouldn’t normally travel. Also, they don’t force you to use your stabilizers; this makes the movement easier.
4. Lift heavy. Too many women are afraid to pick up anything other than a pink dumbbell because they’re afraid they’ll get big and bulky. Look, it won’t happen. It has never happened to any women I have ever training, and it won’t happen to you. You should lift in the higher rep range (10-15 reps) but you should also lift heavy (5-8 rep range). Trust me, this will do nothing but improve your aesthetic appearance and confidence.
5. Lay off the long, slow cardio. Long, slow cardio will not help you develop a lean, sexy look. The only thing long, slow cardio will do is give you a “skinny fat” appearance. Don’t believe me? Take a look at most marathon runners.

Finally, you should follow a proper plan and surround yourself with the right information. Get more training and nutrition information from the fat loss expert Nia Shanks and the No Non-Sense Fat Loss Manual for FREE at http://www.thefatsolutions.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nia_Shanks