Exercise Programming Maryland | Maryland Health Coach

There are several benefits to combining a personal exercise regime (exercise prescription) of strength training and aerobic activity.

An exercise prescription is excellent medicine for the management of Type II Diabetes, glucose control for Type I Diabetes, and risk reduction for heart disease and Alzheimer’s (dementia). Exercise will also help to improve your cognitive function (decreased bouts of depression), controlling your blood pressure and reducing the risk of some cancers.

Is one form of exercise better than another for specific health problems or overall health management?

FITNESS BOOT CAMP: IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Fitness boot camps are usually a more intense workout than an individual exercise prescription. Boot camp exercises are usually a “one-size” fits all regimen that involves ballistic/rapid movements that can be very challenging to those who aren’t already in shape.

But if you are in shape, have a strong foundation of strength and aerobic training, you should be able to participate in a fitness boot camp. As a result, you will reap the benefits.

With a fitness boot camp, you often get a whole-body strength and cardio workout with a “leader” directing the camp. Most boot camps are designed to be completed within an hour, at less cost and group participation for increased motivation to help you push through.

Although there are advantages to a fitness boot camp, there are also some potential disadvantages. If you are older than age 40, are pregnant or have certain health conditions (heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes), and haven’t exercised for some time, a fitness boot camp is not the form of exercise for you.

There is limited personal instruction with a fitness boot camp. A well-organized bootcamp will have a knowledgeable instructor that will ensure the trainer to trainee ratio is ideal for their ability to lead, control and ensure the safety of the participants.

Without the ideal trainer to trainee ratio, you will essentially be lost in the crowd. Combined with the “one-size” fits all regimen, you are at a greater risk of muscle strains, shoulder or knee injuries. Or simply not getting the most out of the workout.

Most importantly, if you are currently diagnosed with heart disease, Type I or Type II diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, a boot camp can put you in a high-risk category.

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION

According to an article in Sports Med Today, “An exercise prescription is a personalized, specific exercise regimen based on a patient’s specific fitness level and goals. Like a prescription for medication, an exercise prescription spells out exactly what type of exercises to perform. It also recommends how often and how long to perform those exercises. Additionally, an exercise prescription is geared toward reaching a specific goal which may be different for individual patients (i.e. increased range of motion, increased functional ability or increased cardiovascular performance)”.

An exercise regimen can also be prescribed to help manage or prevent heart disease, Type I or Type II diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

A walk, light jog (as well as swimming) strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles. That helps control blood pressure and blood sugar. Cardiovascular focused exercises keep arteries flexible. It also plays a role in losing weight and excess body fat, or for maintaining weight. All of these are health management strategies for people with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Strength training helps muscles respond better to insulin, the hormone that ushers blood sugar into cells. Thirty to forty minutes of strength training can make muscle cells “listen” to insulin better for 12 hours or more. It will also significantly cut your risk of heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent. It will also lower triglycerides by 30 to 40 percent and boost HDL by 5 to 8 mg/dl.

But an exercise prescription will only be as effective as the prescription is written.

WHY CHOOSE BODY REFINED FOR EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION

Boot camp or simple exercise “advice” will not work for diagnosed patients. It must be a customized and personalized exercise prescription in order to get the best benefit. A prescribed pill or liquid medicine usually comes with detailed instructions. So, exercise needs to be prescribed as thoroughly as a medication.

Whether you are engaging in an exercise regimen on your own or with your own trainer, Kurt will work with you in any capacity to ensure that the prescription is customized accordingly. Utilizing his undergraduate education and Exercise Testing and Prescription Guidelines from his certification with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), rest assured your exercise prescription will be safe, detailed and effective.

When you reach the phase of the Lifestyle Management program that includes prescribed exercise, you can expect to engage in the recommended screening for an exercise prescription, as detailed by ACSM. This includes the Pre-participation Screening Questionnaire (PAR-Q), followed by the Fitness Facility Pre-participation Screening Questionnaire if your exercise prescription will be performed with Kurt.

Body Refined clients who receive an exercise prescription, combined with all the other benefits of the Lifestyle Management program, have eliminated diagnosis or helped to better manage their diagnosis.

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