Exercise is Medicine®: A Global Health Initiative

The vision of Exercise is Medicine® (EIM), a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), is to make physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in clinical care, connecting health care with evidence-based physical activity resources for people everywhere and of all abilities.

EIM encourages physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity when designing treatment plans and to refer patients to evidence-based exercise programs and qualified exercise professionals. EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal health and is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions.

ACSM’S Guiding principles 

• Exercise and physical activity are important to health and the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases.

• More should be done to address physical activity and exercise in health care settings. 

• Encouragement of ACSM and AMA’s efforts to bring a greater focus on physical activity and exercise in health care settings.                       

A Network of Health Promotion Partners

We would like to invite you to become part of a network of physicians, healthcare providers, community organizations and fitness professionals, who support the idea that “Exercise is Medicine.” We would also like you to become a community resource and to help with public education. We are creating an active, healthy, lifestyle referral system in Colorado to provide links between health care providers and patients with community based physical activity programs. We need to teach people that “Exercise is Medicine, “ and then link them with referrals to qualified fitness programs, in their own community.

“Shape Up Colorado”, Community Health Education

Working with these health promotion partners we will set up a series of, “Exercise is Medicine” community seminars. Participants will be informed of the importance of using exercise as medicine,encouraged to talk to their doctor about “Exercise is Medicine” and given a physical activity screen, counseling, and, referrals to community level, and professional exercise programs.