Medical Caveats

Medical Caveats

The first stop on your road to fitness needs to be your doctor’s office. After all, you want your new program to make you healthier and fitter, not to put you at medical risk.
Many gyms require that you see a doctor if they feel there might be a problem.Exercise can help combat these medical conditions, and your physician can prescribe a suitable program for you or send you to a suitable physiologist or trainer.
Every fitness authority, every exercise video, every TV workout show, and every book strongly suggests consulting your physician before starting any new workout program.
This not only is the result of our litigious society, it also makes good sense. If you are under 35 and in good health, authorities feel it might not be necessary to get a doctor’s okay before you start working out. It is imperative, however, to get a medical exam if you are over 35 and have been inactive, if you have a family history of conditions that might require precautions, or if you yourself have certain medical conditions.
According to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, you should consult with a doctor if you have any medical concerns, particularly heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, frequent dizzy spells, extreme breathlessness after mild exertion, arthritis or other bone problems, severe muscular or ligament problems, back problems, obesity, or a family history of such diseases.