Opportunities for Leaders in Exercise Physiology
Larry Birnbaum, PhD, EPC
Associate Professor
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN  55811

From pediatrics to geriatrics and everything in between, opportunities abound for exercise physiologists, particularly for those focused on health maintenance and disease prevention.  Children need to be taught proper exercises and good nutrition.  They need guidance in developing appropriate exercise techniques and routines for growth and development of their bodies.  They also need to learn that exercise is essential to develop and maintain health.  Thus, regular exercise is a life-long commitment much like brushing one’s teeth regularly for good dental health. 

The geriatric population could also benefit greatly from the expertise of exercise physiologists.  With regular aerobic exercise (e.g., walking), resistance training and flexibility routines to maintain functionality, elderly people would greatly improve their quality of life.  For example, they would more capable of doing the things they enjoy doing, require fewer medications, and remain autonomous later in life, possibly until death.  Another benefit for the entire society would be reduced health care costs.  Even for those who end up in a nursing home, exercise physiologists could help them improve their life style and make it easier for the care providers to do their jobs (e.g., easier to toilet them).  This would also result in a cost savings.

Of course, there exists a multitude of fitness facilities that offer services to anyone interested in improving or maintaining their fitness.  Unfortunately, too many of these facilities employ personal trainers (as opposed to exercise physiologists) who have been “certified” by any one of approximately 300 different businesses offering what is supposed to be a valid certification.  Regrettably, these personal trainers lack the well-rounded expertise of exercise physiologists.  The ASEP board certified exercise physiologists has the knowledge and skills to formulate a complete program that considers a host of variables to help each individual be successful in achieving his or her goals. 

So why aren’t exercise physiologists meeting the health maintenance/disease prevention needs of large numbers of people in the world?  There seems to be an inadequate number of leaders guiding students to these opportunities.  Leaders in academic programs need to help exercise physiology students realize their potential in these areas, and they need to offer programs that will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to help the aforementioned populations.  Additionally, an entrepreneurial spirit needs to be cultivated in students to help them see opportunities and bring the necessary resources together to accomplish the mission of health promotion and disease prevention.  Indeed, entrepreneurs are leaders and are needed to bring exercise physiology to its capacity.

Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (2003) assert that “leadership is a contract with possibility and opportunity”.  The opportunities for exercise physiologists are numerous, but we need leaders to transform possibilities into realities.  Academicians are in an ideal position to assume this leadership role, to the extent that they can prepare students for and direct students to these markets.  Exercise physiologists who are working in some aspect of the field, but feel too limited or under utilized by their current job, should consider expanding their job market to take advantage of these opportunities.  They too can serve as leaders on the front lines, so to speak, by paving the way for others to follow.  These should be good times for exercise physiologists if only leaders will come forward to embrace the opportunities and possibilities.

 References

 1.  Porter-O’Grady, T. and Malloch, K.  (2003).  Quantum Leadership:  A Textbook of New Leadership.  Boston:  Jones and Bartlett Publishers.