There are many health benefits of exercise for individuals at any stage of the healthcare continuum. Whether people are enjoying healthy living, want to start living healthier or have a chronic condition that requires managing health, there are myriad benefits including:

Reducing weight
Increasing bone density
Improving the strength of heart and skeletal muscles
Decreasing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol
Lowering blood pressure
Improving control of blood sugars
Decreasing stress and increasing confidence

Talking with participants regularly helps keep them on track with their exercise program and can help to put new life into a routine that may have become boring and tedious.

In designing an exercise program, the first thing an EP does is to confirm the participant’s physician approval to begin exercising. This allows Cardium Health to be aware of any medical restrictions the individual may have.

The EP then talks with the participant to learn about their individual interests and preferences. It is important to get to know a little bit about each person to determine what he or she likes to do for exercise and how much time they are willing to devote to doing it. The EP listens to find out where the person would be most comfortable…at home, in a group class, at a fitness center, outside, etc. The most important thing is to identify what would be enjoyable and prevent boredom.

The next thing to think about is what is going to be convenient for the participant. For example, is the fitness center close to home? Is it open according to hours that fit into their schedule? Cost also can be an issue, but there are low cost ways to get physically active right at home.

The most important lesson that EP specialty health coaches try to help participants understand is that the benefits of exercise cannot be stored up. To be effective and move people closer to living healthier, exercise has to become a part of a routine for life.

Cardium Health Primary & Specialty Health Coaches