4 Important Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Exercising

You’ve decided to take that first step to improving your health.

You have a meal planner set up.

You have your workouts ready to go.

First things first, if you have previous medical conditions or if this is your first time exercising, then it’s a good idea to pay your doctor a visit. Let’s take a look at the top 4 most important questions you should be asking your doctor before you start a workout program.

4. “Will my prior surgery / injury interfere with an exercise program?”

On a long enough time line, we’ll all visit our doctor for surgery or an injury. Whether you’re getting your appendix out or you need rehabilitation for a sprained ankle, your doctor is going to know about these incidents best. Surgery and injury is a form of trauma to the body. Depending on how recent your surgery or injury took place, your doctor may have some specific guidelines to follow, which brings us to number 3 on the list.

3. “What precautions should I take?”

Maybe you had a previous injury or maybe your genetics are working against you in the form of a thyroid issue. Either way, you need to make sure you are taking every precaution you can. The last thing you want to do is begin an exercise program and make an issue worse. When that happens, you’ll be out of the gym even longer and your motivation will plummet.

2. “What does my blood work say?”

This is going to be excellent information for you to know, especially if you hire a personal trainer. Blood work is your cheat sheet to areas you need to focus on and areas you need to be cautious with. Blood work reveals your cardiometabolic risk factors.

For example, if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, you’ll know that you need to focus on specific aspects of your diet such as eliminating processed fats and increasing your intake of vegetables and fruits. You’ll also know that your workouts will need to be centered around reaching your target heart rate as opposed to muscular hypertrophy.

1. “Am I ready to work out?”

Your doctor’s answer will depend on a number of factors that are particular to you and your previous medical history. More often than not, your doctor will say, “Of course.” The catch is he may want to suggest specific types of exercise to suit your needs.This is the “Give it to me straight, doc” question. You are essentially asking your doctor whether or not he or she would recommend you beginning a comprehensive workout program.

You should be asking your doctor all of these questions before beginning any exercise and diet program. Your doctor will be able to help you maximize your exercise benefits while suggesting specific precautions that would set you back. Best of all, this information can be passed to a professional dietician or personal trainer to create a personalized program for your needs.

Tell Us What You Think!

Have you recently visited your doctor with these questions?

What was his or her response?

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