What should I do before starting a fitness program?

What should I do before starting a fitness program?

Jerry Pryde, MD, MPH, CIME (Clinical Chief, Department of Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Why is exercise so important?; How can exercise keep my blood pressure under control?; How will exercise improve my stamina and overall energy? and more...

Before you start a fitness program you should have a full comprehensive physical evaluation by a physician. We want to identify any potential limitations there or risk factors that may present themselves once you participate in a fitness program. We also want the opportunity to evaluate what type of fitness program you might be interested in, and make sure that you are not at risk of any complication participating in that fitness program. For instance, if somebody has had a long history of lower back pain and they want to start a fitness program to run marathons, then we may need to take a closer look at their spine with x-rays and a physical examination to make sure that they don't have any disc problems in their spine that they may exacerbate while they are out on the road running all those miles in their fitness program, pounding their spine, and then develop a herniated disc or a pinched nerve in their back.