Exercise is Medicine™ is an initiative focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Exercise is Medicine is committed to the belief that exercise and physical activity are integral in the prevention and treatment of diseases and should be regularly assessed as part of all medical care.

They have a vision of:

• Making physical activity and exercise a standard part of a disease prevention and treatment medical paradigm in the United States.

• For physical activity to be considered by all health care providers as a vital sign in every patient visit, and that patients are effectively counseled and referred as to their physical activity and health needs, thus leading to overall improvement in the public's health and long-term reduction in health care cost.

The Exercise is Medicine campaign believes that exercise and physical activity are important to health and the prevention and treatment of many chronic disease, more should be done to address physical activity and exercise in health care settings, and we should continue to encourage the efforts of ACSM and AMA to bring greater focus on physical activity and exercise in health care settings.

Contact: Kim Jackson

American College of Sports Medicine
PO Box 1440
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440
Telephone: 317-352-3818
Email: eim@acsm.org
Website: www.exerciseismedicine.org