Can Exercise Help?

One of the questions I like to ask patients about at most visits is their exercise habits. I know a lot of times patients feel frustrated about questions pertaining to weight, diet, and exercise from their doctor, especially when it doesn’t feel relevant:

I’m here for my anxiety, why is she asking about exercise?

I know I’m overweight, but can we focus on my trouble sleeping? That’s why I came!

What does asking me about my exercise have to do with my memory issues?

And to be fair, doctors do often ask questions that are irrelevant to the reason a patient is there, in an effort to check off all of the boxes required to get reimbursement from insurance companies. So while I won’t need to worry about jumping through those hoops in a direct access primary care model, I will continue to discuss exercise often and here’s why.

Exercise is good for SO MANY THINGS! When I am helping a patient with their mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, I discuss how exercise helps to release those feel good brain chemicals that help you reduce stress and improve mood. In terms of sleep, trials have shown that exercise helps you fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality, with better next day results compared to sleep medications. Observational studies also show that higher rates of physical exercise are associated with lower rates of dementia, so when a patient talks to me about memory or concentration deficits, or just concerns about family history of dementia, exercise is always a part of the conversation. And those are just a few of the benefits of exercise, not to mention the reduction in cardiovascular disease, diabetes prevention, lower rates of cancer, improved bone health, lower fall risks in older adults etc etc etc.

I encourage all of my patients to exercise, but starting a routine or trying to figure out if your level of activity is enough can be overwhelming. As part of primary care at SFP, I am happy to help you create an individualized exercise regimen to start reaping the health benefits of exercise today!