The Role of the Fitness Professional in the Clinical Setting.

While fitness professionals have not historically been considered an extension of the health care team, there is a growing movement in health care to provide more complete and effective team-based care and to better integrate clinical and community resources. One way to do this is through physician referrals to community-based fitness professionals who can help patients translate clinician-advised exercise recommendations into individualized and effective exercise programs. Fitness professionals are uniquely qualified to fulfill this role given their training and practical expertise in exercise physiology, exercise program design and implementation, and health behavior change principles.

Physical Activity and the Health of a Nation: A National Challenge and Collective Response.

Historic recruitment and retention challenges confront the U.S. military. In an invited panel discussion at Lifestyle Medicine 2023, we argued that widespread physical inactivity is contributing to these challenges, and that Lifestyle Medicine approaches should be part of the solution. Our aim in this commentary is to recapture the most salient messages from that discussion. First, we summarize significant epidemiologic studies that describe the scope of the problem among future recruits, current service members, and Veterans. Then, in the optimistic spirit that characterizes both the armed forces and Lifestyle Medicine communities, we outline several potential solutions. By increasing physical activity during the school day, using wearable technology to monitor and prompt health behaviors, addressing the other pillars of Lifestyle Medicine (especially sleep, nutrition, and stress management), aligning efforts with current health frameworks in the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and recruiting Lifestyle Medicine professionals, we are convinced that we can improve the health of our nation and, in so doing, strengthen military readiness and national security.

Feasibility and acceptability of stepping exercise for cardiovascular fitness in women.

Nurses conducting clinical research often test the feasibility and acceptability of interventions before using them in large-scale experimental studies. This article specifically reviews stepping exercise as an intervention with women. In a literature review, three stepping modes (steptreadmill, bench/step, and stepper) were compared, with the steptreadmill being identified as the most advantageous for use in experimental research. An exemplar was constructed to illustrate feasibility and acceptability of steptreadmill exercise (motorized stair climbing) in 11 women with hypertension. Steptreadmill exercise is feasible and acceptable and shows promise for use in experimental studies where strict control over the exercise performed is required.