Is exercise medicine?

New studies and a review of older studies reveal that exercise can be of significant value in any effort to lower body fat and/or fight high blood pressure. These studies imply that exercise is medicine. Physicians are now considering officially prescribing exercise for people with high body fat especially around the abdomen and individuals with hypertension.

The researchers gathered 391 randomized, controlled trials–these are the gold standard for testing treatments–that looked at either medications or exercise to control weight or blood pressure. Exercise and/or lifestyle changes should always be the first intervention, one doesn’t need clinical trials or have to deal with the side effects which come with pharmaceutical interventions.

This is not really “hot off the press news”, we’ve known about this for years. Some individuals find it hard to exercise and increase their physical activity. If that’s the case with you the most important thing is to start slowly and gradually, try to make it enjoyable, do it with friends and try to have fun. Having fun alone could lower your blood pressure but having fun while you exercise it is even better medicine.