In mid-April 2015, my travels took me to Hollywood, Florida for the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). This is a great meeting that was held this year at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, which is a beautiful South Florida coastal town about 20 minutes south of Ft. Lauderdale and about 30 minutes north of Miami. I was there to give a couple lectures at the meeting, which brings together primary care sports medicine physicians from around the country. The meeting features a broad range of topics that were pertinent to physician specialists in the field of sports medicine.
My talks centered on the theme of exercise and health, and I was mostly preaching to the choir with this group of colleagues. In my first talk, I explained the history of the Exercise is Medicine initiative, with a focus on why and how physicians should assess and prescribe exercise to their patients. In my second talk, I went over the risks versus the benefits of exercise. While the benefits of exercise are numerous and significant, there are of course cases where people die suddenly while they are exercising. It is important to note that this is most often seen in a person who is mostly sedentary, who then engages in vigorous exercise, such as running to catch a bus or shoveling snow off their driveway. The best way to prevent sudden death while exercising is to do it on a regular basis! Of course, you should consult your physician if you ever experience any chest pain, excessive shortness of breath or other unusual discomforts while you are doing vigorous exercise.
It was a great time of year to be in South Florida, as the weather was perfect for getting out for a good walk. The hotel was located right on the water and near a seaside walkway that was a great place to stroll and jog along the ocean. I took advantage of this every day and enjoyed getting in some great walks, while enjoying the beautiful views and basking in the sunshine and warm balmy Florida breezes. These walks offered a nice break from the many great lectures I attended at the AMSSM meeting.
I appreciate you talking the time to read my blog and to help spread the word on the health benefits of walking!
Bob
