E X E R C I S E I S M E D I C I N E ™
Health Care Providers’ Action Guide
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H E A L T H C A R E P R O V I D E R S ’
A C T I O N G U I D E
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1
HOW TO
USE THE
GUIDE 2
PRESCRIPTION
& REFERRAL
PROCESS 3
EXERCISE
READINESS &
PRESCRIPTION
PAD
4
STARTING AN
EXERCISE
PROGRAM
HANDOUT 5
YOUR
PRESCRIPTION
FOR HEALTH
6
PHYSICIAN
OFFICE FLYER
HOW TO USE THE GUIDE
The Exercise is MedicineTM Health Care Providers’ Action Guide provides physicians
and other health care providers with a simple, fast, and effective tool for using physical
activity, in the right “dosage”, as a highly effective prescription for the prevention,
treatment, and management of more than 40 of the most common chronic health
conditions encountered in primary practice.
This guide acknowledges and respects that today’s modern health care provider has
very little time for exercise-counseling (probably no more than 20-30 seconds) during the
normal office visit and empowers you to:
1. Either write an exercise prescription, depending on the health, fitness level, and
physical activity preferences of your patient, or
2. Refer your patient to a certified health and fitness professional, who specializes
in exercises counseling and who will oversee your patient’s exercise under your
supervision.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Review How to Use the Guide, which you are currently reading. Once you have read
this, it is highly recommended that you read through the Exercise Prescription and
Referral Process document. This is the core of the guide and will explain how to
either quickly write a prescription for your patient or else ref