It is understandable why this industry is growing so rapidly. Just look at the state of our health in America. As people become more educated about the effects of inactivity, obesity, poor nutrition, and disease, they also become more interested in getting fit, staying healthy, slowing down the aging process, feeling better and living a better quality of life. There are also a great number of people who get into fitness because they are captivated by building their bodies, looking good and being strong. The fitness industry has been targeting these groups and is catering to them very well by making accessible exactly what they want. It is the simple rule of supply and demand. Personally, I think it is fantastic that so many people are becoming interested in fitness and taking it upon themselves to better their health.
But, I do believe that there is a demographic of people that the industry has either forgotten, is not interested in or perhaps does not know how to market to and provide for them. And not only is this a huge demographic, but it is the one that I believe can and should benefit most from what we as fitness experts can provide. I am referring to the "deconditioned".
Deconditioned is a physical condition that describes a syndrome of health problems that follow physical weakness. The Medical Dictionary defines "deconditioned" as a neurological term referring to a state of prolonged underuse of muscles which may trigger a cycle of increasing disability.
Decontioned is not the same as "being out of shape". Deconditioning can be looked at as a syndrome of problems that result from your body being extremely weak. Inactivity and lack of exercise cause a decrease in muscle size and strength which gradually affect ones ability to perform what were once considered simple daily activities. Walking up the stairs, standing up from a chair or being able to properly maintain your balance can literally become chores. This decrease in muscle size can also lead to reduced maximal oxygen uptake during activity which can cause a deconditioned person to become out of breath just by simply exerting the force necessary to stand up.
Life becomes exponentially more difficult for deconditioned people as they continue to live a sedentary lifestyle and fail to strengthen their bodies. Issues of discomfort, aches, chronic fatigue and lack of energy are common complaints of someone who is moderately deconditioned. Severe deconditioning, because of the highly weakened state of the body, can lead to other serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, osteoporosis and much more.
Doctors see patients everyday who are dealing with a multitude of symptoms that have arisen out of their deconditioned state. Treating the symptoms, whatever they may be, might bring temporary relief but it will yield little if any positive or lasting results. For lasting symptom relief, it is necessary to correct or reverse the deconditioning; or as I like to say, "Recondition the Deconditioned".
This "reconditioning" can be achieved through a structured regimen of exercise and strength training. Severely deconditoned people may suffer from symptoms that are irreversible due to particular tissue, nerve or organ damage but mildly and moderately deconitioned people have a high probability of relieving their symptoms by undertaking an exercise program designed specifically for them to increase their muscle mass and strength.
So, if the deconditioned can regain health and a better quality of life from an exercise program, why hasn't the fitness industry targeted them?
First, I believe it is because most people who comprise this group don't believe they can exercise. After all, if cleaning the litter box takes most of the morning and physically exhausts you, how could you possibly exercise too?
Second, physical activity for these people is uncomfortable, exhausting and sometimes very painful. If just trying to get through the day is so difficult, why would they want to add exercise to it?
Put simply, the deconditioned generally have no motivation to do anything but what is absolutely necessary to get them through their day. No amount of colorful mailers, TV commercials or special offers from health and fitness clubs is going to interest them in the least.
So how do we get the message out that the deconditioned can be reconditioned? How do we let these people know that there is relief for them and the hope of a better quality of life?
Teamwork! That's right. It is going to take teamwork. If the fitness industry can't attract these folks on their own and if doctors can only treat a growing list of symptoms as a patient's muscles continue to atrophy then why don't we work together. The fitness industry has the facilities and the trained professionals and the doctors have their patients undivided attention and best interest at hand,
If deconditioning or lack of exercise were to be treated as medical condition, then doctors could prescribed (highly recommend) a regimen of exercise and strength training that would allow their patients to recover. Knowing from their medical professional that there is a way of getting and feeling better is highly motivating to most patients. Understanding that there will be eventual relief will help them deal with the initial discomfort of exercise which might otherwise discourage them from pushing forward. These patients would also be comforted in knowing that their fitness professional has the ability to be in close communication with their physician.
I am currently working on a plan to create a referral network with local physicians. It is not easy. But I know that there are doctors who want the best for their patients and just don't know where to look. I also understand that, as a fitness professional, I need to gain credibility in their eyes and prove to them that, together, we can help a multitude of folks who might otherwise continue to live a miserable existence when they don't have to. Physical inactivity and lack of exercise – deconditioning – is one of the most common preventable causes of morbidity and mortality known for an impressive array of diseases (Thyfault & Booth, 2011). Let's start the prevention now!
Let's not miss the mark! Let's work together to "Recondition the Deconditioned"!
Mark
Note: If you are a physician or medical professional who deals with the deconditioned, I would like to hear from you and understand your thoughts on this issue.