“Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise regime.” It’s likely you’ve seen this before and perhaps ignored it…and that could be to your detriment, especially if you suffer from medical conditions and/or take medication that should preclude certain exercises. As a physical fitness professional, I believe one of my most important roles is to ensure my clients engage in exercise programs that suit their specific needs, and that starts with communication.
Collecting proper, detailed health history, including all current prescription and over-the-counter medications, is crucial to alleviating contraindications to exercise. For example, those with high blood pressure must be extra careful when lifting heavy weights and those who’ve recently had hip surgery shouldn’t be doing exercises that include crossover steps. Along with a proper assessment, another important tool, the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), must be administered and written physician consent may be necessary for those considered at high risk.
Once an age-specific exercise program and physiologic considerations are established, we progress clients safely so they have fun and get the most value from their exercise experience. Sensory impairments such as hearing, vision and joint stiffness can cause complications, and repetitive motions can be detrimental (causing shoulder, knee, back and hip injuries); both must be carefully monitored.
The Administration on Aging says that almost every adult suffers from at least one chronic medical condition, many of which increase the likelihood of developing additional medical issues, e.g., hypertension increases the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease. That’s no reason to shy away from exercise, but you do have to make smart choices that support your commitment to healthy living and improve your quality of life. There is no magic pill, but the magic is in the results.