Doctors Increasingly Advising Patients To Get More Exercise

The number of doctors prescribing exercise and physical activity to their patients has increased over the past 10 years, according to a new report from the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention. In 2000, less than 25 percent of adults who went to see a doctor were advised to get more exercise compared with one in three adults in 2010. Patients between the ages of 45 and 74 were most likely to be told to get more exercise, though 30 percent of adults over the age of 85 received similar advice. Though exercise is known to lower the risk of everything from heart disease to depression, few Americans get the recommended amount per week. The report says over the past 10 years the medical community is increasing its efforts to recommend patients exercise due to the substantial health benefits. More here.