Last week I started a conversation addressing the potential reasons why you don’t feel like exercising.  This post is about reason number 2….medications.

Alright, another one of these double edged swords…or is it?  If you go the old school train of thought which is do exactly what your doctor says no matter what, then there is not much you can do about this.  You have high blood pressure, doc says take a diuretic, and that’s that.  If you are the type of person who likes to give your doctor a hard time (asking a ton of questions and driving him or her crazy), then perhaps there is something you can do about this.

Now I’m not trying to create waves here between you and your physician, but let’s be honest with ourselves.  You and I both know that there is big money in pharmaceuticals, and it would be best for the industry to keep you on them.  Now I’m not anti-big pharma (a lot of these save lives for sure), but knowing that there’s a ton of cash to be made should raise a little bit of a red flag.  It’s the same thing as exercise gimmicks and gadgets.  How on Earth is it humanly possible that the freaking ab roller still makes money?  It offers a supposed quick solution to a problem…which is exactly what drugs do. (and let’s be honest, aren’t our lives centered around what will make them easier?)

The whole point in all this is that you may not have considered the wonderful healing abilities of the human body…provided it is in an environment that is conducive to healing.

The fact remains that there are plenty of people out there that will take the pill, see that the “numbers” fall in line with what the doctor says they should be and  take it as fact that there is nothing else that needs to be done.  My thought process is that you should safely do everything within your power to try to get off the meds you are on, and I think that is where people tend to get complacent.  The truth is that there is not a medication out there that doesn’t have some sort of side effect…whether it manifests itself in a way that you can feel or not.

For example, you are taking an antidepressant.  Sure you are feeling better as a matter of mood, but you haven’t so much as felt like taking a walk in a month or longer.  You know why?  Side effects of antidepressants can include dizziness, insomnia, and constipation (not to mention weight gain…ugh).  Take a sleep aid like Ambien?  DId you know that they can cause daytime fatigue?  Sooo….you took a pill to sleep, slept, and were fatigued throughout the day.  Does that make sense to you? Another example would be the highly prescribed statin drugs like Lipitor (for high cholesterol).  Potential side effects include muscle weakness, difficulty sleeping, and nausea.  Hey, who’s up for sprints?!  Some of this is slight exaggeration, as “potential” doesn’t mean its going to happen, but I’ll bet there’s a few of you out there that this speaks to.

Now, a lot of what it takes to get off of meds has to do with so many other things in your life.  This really all ties in together.  Nutrition, sleep, how you manage stress, etc are probably some of the main factors that prompted you getting on meds in the first place.  Of course genetics has a lot to do with it too, and there’s not much you can do about that.  Having said that, again, don’t discount the natural healing ability of the body.  Talking with a naturopathic doctor (or at least a more forward thinking doctor) can open your eyes to some different remedies that you may not have heard of.  Regardless of whether or not you take his or her advice, it could be a starting point to open a conversation with your regular doctor to find some other ways to “heal” yourself.  It’s also eye opening to see if he or she is a straight up fraud or not.  Doesn’t hurt to test their knowledge a bit…nicely.

If you are taking a medication for something that you don’t have an option to not not take a med for, then consider talking with your doc about switching meds to something that performs the same function, but without some of the potential side effects that would affect your exercise prowess.

Again, not giving medical advice here, just trying to open your mind to taking an active, cautious role in your relationship with your doctor and your health.  This is simply for the purpose of getting you to “feel” like exercising again.  Remember, it doesn’t really help your overall health and well being to fix one problem and create another by not exercising.

Until the next time I feel like preaching,

Chris

Chris Buckley, B.S. Exercise Science, is a certified Fitness Trainer and exercise physiologist, graduate of the University of Florida and fitness professional located in Roswell, GA. Buckley is the owner of BodyBack! Women’s Fitness Boot Camps…serving Roswell, Woodstock, Milton, and NE Marietta, and has posted more information on his website, www.RoswellBootCamps.com.  To try a trial week of his fat churning, calorie burning boot camp…click on the registration link at http://www.roswellbootcampsforwomen.com/roswell-boot-camp-registration.html

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