IT IS FRIDAY night and I am at my computer typing away while my friends are out having fun on the town.  Why am I not with my friends right now as they are busy socializing around town?  No, I am not sick.  On the contrary, I am feeling very healthy right now.  To be honest, I am a little tired as it has been a long week but really I feel good.  I am here right now typing this paper because I am an Exercise Physiologist.  I am here right now because I am proud that I am an exercise physiologist.  I am here because I believe in the American Society of Exercise Physiology (ASEP).  And, most importantly, I am here right now because I realize that exercise physiologists can no longer afford to procrastinate.  Now is the time for all exercise physiologists to stand up and take charge!  We need to join hands and come together!  We need to educate ourselves and especially educate everyone else who is not an exercise physiologist.  If we sit back and wait, nothing will happen.  Progress will not be possible.  Change will not occur.  Now is the time for us to come out and make ourselves heard.  

Now is The Time
What do I mean when I say, “Now is the time?”  I am saying all exercise physiologists need to come together and join ASEP.  I am saying all exercise physiologists need ASEP as a common foundation.  It doesn’t make sense to have so many excellent exercise physiologists in the workforce who are not ASEP members.  It doesn’t make sense that some exercise physiologists do not want to be affiliated with ASEP because they would rather be part of a different organization that does not deal with exercise physiology.  As exercise physiologists, we need to work on our group chemistry because right now we are all over the place!  Teamwork is defined as cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal [1].  There has to be a common bond we can find that can bring us together and keep us from splitting and falling apart.  We are a team that needs to come together as one.  We need to believe in ourselves and in our group goals.  Then, we need to march forward together and achieve them together.  Also, we  need to believe in ASEP and become members!  

The New England Patriots
The 2005 Super Bowl was won by a football team that exercise physiologists should model their behavior after.  The New England Patriots had wonderful team chemistry.  They were a team made up of overachievers who believed in one another and who would do anything for one another.  When there was a problem among team members, they would come together to solve the problem as a team.  When there was a challenge, they would come together to overcome the challenge together.  When their backs were against the wall and it looked as if they were going to lose, they would hold their heads high and fight back together to get the win.  When they won game after game, they responded in a humble manner.  They had a mission and they knew that the only way they could get through everything and win the Super Bowl together was if they worked as a team, thought like a team, and felt like a team.

Now, compare the 2005 Super Bowl Champions to ASEP and all of the exercise physiologists and what do you see?  I see two completely different teams.  It’s like comparing apples to oranges.  This has to change!  Exercise physiologists need to take charge and come up with a set of goals and then strive to achieve them together.  And the only way that this is possible is if everyone that is an exercise physiologist joins forces with ASEP and moves forward as a team.  Just imagine the feeling of pride, knowing you are a member of something bigger and better that is so powerful and impressive.  Exercise physiologists would be able to hold their heads high and be recognized.  Challenges would present themselves and the entire ASEP team would resolve and overcome the challenges together and continue moving forward in a humble manner.  ASEP would think like and feel like a great team.  They would work as a great team.  They would be seen by the public as a great organization.  They would be respected by the public and, most importantly, they would achieve their goals and be able to do as they want because of their ability to work together.  Does this sound familiar?

The Exercise Physiology Playbook
The Professional Development of Exercise Physiology [2] book is a model of how things can be done to achieve what I just wrote about.  Think of this book as the playbook for the way to success for all exercise physiologists.  In a way, it is similar to the playbook that the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots used to become the National Football League Champions for the third time in the last 4 years!  It breaks down the plays and talks about the team’s strengths and weaknesses.  It describes how to overcome challenges.  It describes how to shun scrutiny and persevere.  This exercise physiology playbook describes the way forward and outlines the path to success.  It is the master plan for the exercise physiology team to succeed and achieve their goals.

In his book, Boone [2] explains the way forward for all exercise physiologists and for their organization, ASEP.  He outlines where exercise physiologists are failing today and explains what can be done to change that to success.  Exercise physiology can no longer continue as it has for decades within the umbrella departments such as Physical Education, Exercise Science, Kinesiology, and so forth.  This is doing more harm than good as it gives people the wrong message about what exactly exercise physiology really is and what exactly exercise physiologists really do.  Exercise physiology is its own separate field.  An academic degree in physical education with a concentration in exercise science does not entitle the graduate to the professional title, exercise physiologist.  The degree is in physical education and, therefore, the graduate is a physical educator (even if the degree is exercise science).  Everyone knows that the exercise science degree, the kinesiology degree, or the sports science degree are actually non-licensure physical education degrees.  It is a simple fact.  It is a matter of requiring a few activity courses and the adding one or two science courses to the curriculum.  It is straightforward.  It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why that is so.  Can you call a rocket scientist an exercise physiologist?  I sure hope not!

Society of Exercise Physiologists
To solve this problem, all exercise physiologists should support the only organization that exists to foster the professional development of their organization; the American Society of Exercise Physiologists.  This is clearly the only way forward.  This is the way for exercise physiologists to become unified properly.  Exercise physiologists cannot be segregated in different organizations scattered here and there.  What good does that do for exercise physiology if there is no common foundation?  How can the future be bright if there is no hope for unification?  The American Society of Exercise Physiologists was founded in 1997 [2] to allow for unification.  Now that such an organization exists, exercise physiologists have reason to be proud.  With time, good things will happen.  But as I stated earlier, now is the time to take charge and stop procrastinating.  The future begins now!

Exercise physiology courses, science electives, and hands-on laboratory experiences should be consistent from one academic program to the next.  Just like the New England Patriots follow a consistent plan to be successful year in and year out, exercise physiologists need to do the same.  How many Super Bowls do you think the Patriots would have won had they changed core requirements of each individual player and were inconsistent with their beliefs?  If all exercise physiologists are required to take the same core courses and participated in the same hands-on laboratory experiences whether studying at The University of New Mexico or The College of St. Scholastica, the future of exercise physiology will be better for all involved.  Specific academic standards must be identified to insure credibility.

Boone [2] states in his book that the hope of ASEP is to attract and convince administrators and faculty of exercise physiology (science) departments to organize a national effort to support accreditation.  ASEP is here for us as exercise physiologists!  We do not have to wander around aimlessly looking for a direction any longer.  ASEP will bring us together and, in doing so, will give us recognition, authority, and esteem.  This is a universal understanding in all healthcare professions.  The professional organization strengthens the members' sense of pride, their commitment to a new future, and a new profession.  Can it be this simple?  Of course it can be, but only if all exercise physiologists as well as academic administrators and faculty can begin believing in this vision and this organization that is here for us.

Purpose of a Professional Organization
Due to the way that the profession of exercise physiology has developed over time, various groups of professionals now call themselves members.  Is that right?  No!  Imagine the scenario if Major League Baseball players were considering themselves and promoting themselves as National Football League players.  That is an easy example depicting how confusing that would be for the public, the players, and the fans.  While the diversity in exercise physiology membership makes it hard to define the purpose of an organization specific to a particular group, it is not impossible.  

Ideally, the academic program is established prior to the founding of the national organization.  The organization is then used to support the accreditation of the academic program to ensure the survivability of the emerging profession [2].  Unfortunately, things did not happen that way with exercise physiology.  There are some exercise physiologists who believe that sports medicine is the direction of choice (and that ASEP is not) which has resulted in little serious professional discussion and advancement in the field (i.e., in terms of the majority of the exercise physiologists being on the same page).   The diversity in membership makes it hard to define the mission of the organization specific to a particular group.  This is unnecessarily causing the future of exercise physiology a lot of problems.

Our Own Organization  
This professional organization is essential for the future of exercise physiology because it is their very own professional organization and no one else’s.  Boone [2] writes that exercise physiology membership in sports medicine has presented a problem because it has caused many to believe that sports medicine represents exercise physiology, when in reality it does not.  Exercise physiology is exercise physiology!  It is nothing more and nothing less!  Exercise physiologists need to make a commitment to change by creating membership that is professionally homogenous.  Boone [2] goes on to say that ASEP is about exercise physiology and exercise physiologists.  It exists to improve the members’ education, economic status (salaries), and work environment in order to increase power, prestige, and income.  This is not saying that exercise physiologists should abandon and ignore other organization altogether.  

Robergs [3] states it best when he says that exercise physiologists need to work together through ASEP.  Exercise physiologists can work with other organizations, but exercise physiologists need to belong to ASEP instead of having one foot straddling two or more organizations.  Hence, to be an exercise physiologist today who is committed to another organization does not make any sense and does not benefit the exercise physiologist who is doing so.  Unless total commitment is made and given to the ASEP organization, the future of exercise physiology will not progress as fast as it should.  At the very least, it will take longer.  ASEP has been around now for the better part of eight years and it exists specifically for exercise physiologists.  What a concept!  

Take just a moment and try to imagine what the future will be like for exercise physiologists.  What will ASEP be like in 100 years?  How will the general public feel about exercise physiologists then?  The future is exciting to think about and it is good to think about but exercise physiologists need to bring their attention back to reality and the moment that is today.  We cannot afford to waste time imagining how incredible the future might some day be for exercise physiologists.  As I stated earlier, now is the time to take action and unite as one solid organization, ASEP.  Boone [2] writes, the future of exercise physiology lies in learning how to market its body of knowledge, in establishing meaningful collaborative relationships, and in developing the trust, respect, and communication with the public.  This is what needs to be focused on right now.  

In order to have a successful future where people respect the careers of exercise physiologists and appreciate the work done in exercise physiology, exercise physiologists need to build a good reputation with the general public.  The relationships they make and keep today will benefit the profession even that much more down the road.  Exercise physiologists need to go out and talk about exercise physiology with as many people that they can to spark an interest in the subject within the general public community.  The topic is something that exercise physiologists should be proud of as they discuss it.  Exercise physiologists can hold their heads high and begin taking charge of the successful future of exercise physiology now.

Teamwork and Building Relationships
ASEP is important to the healthcare community and its future.  Dr. Boone [2] writes, the greatest change in exercise physiology is the understanding that unification, shared communication, and the need for a professional organization are important.  He then goes on to write, now is the time to come together and acknowledge that the exercise physiologist is an important member of the healthcare community.  Once again the call for urgency shows itself.  This call for urgency cannot be ignored any longer.  ASEP is only as important as its members make possible the professionalization of exercise physiology.  Hence, the organization is important only if its members are fully represented and the members and the organization are one.  This all comes around full circle to the fact that the bottom line here is teamwork.  How good and how important would the New England Patriots be if the team’s players were not fully represented and the team did not act as one?  This football team is a perfect role model for ASEP and all exercise physiologists to follow.  The future healthcare community will benefit from the relationship it has with ASEP if ASEP can continue and progress as a unified team.

Credibility is an extremely important issue to exercise physiologists and, for that matter, to anyone who aspires to be a forward-thinking leader.  Without credibility, the future of exercise physiology and ASEP is in danger.  To be credible, exercise physiologists must work on improving their reputation in the public’s eye.  This in turn will help to make exercise physiology credible which will benefit the future of all involved.  It is about building relationships with people and educating everyone about the good that exercise physiology can do to society.  Boone [2] states it simply when he writes, if the public had a better idea of the quality and accountability of the work done by exercise physiologists, there would be an increased willingness on behalf of everyone in healthcare to work more closely with exercise physiology.  The pressure is now on the backs of all exercise physiologists to make sure that the public hears about all of the quality work that we do.  Exercise physiologists must show the public that they can be accountable.  

The Future of Exercise Physiology Begins Now
It is up to the exercise physiologists to put their differences behind them and begin moving in the same direction as other healthcare practitioners have done.  That direction is forward and the only way forward is as one solid, unified, happy team under the guidance of the ASEP leadership.  Professional Development of Exercise Physiology [2] is a book that should never be left untouched long enough to collect dust in any library, school, or home.  First of all, this book should be mandatory reading for anyone who is an exercise physiologist.  Second, it should be read by anyone who is not an exercise physiologist so that the general public can better understand exercise physiology.  Just how unbelievable would ASEP be if everyone could read this one book?  If this knowledge could be known by the masses, just think of the appreciation exercise physiologists would receive.  There would be more jobs.  There would be better jobs.  There would be better educational systems.  There would be better health.  In a nutshell, the world would be a better place and society would have exercise physiologists to thank!  There is a lot of hard work ahead but with hard work and determination by everyone, the future will surely be a great place for exercise physiologists.
    

References
1. Dictionary.com.  [Online]. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=teamwork
2. Boone, T. (2001).  Professional Development of Exercise Physiology.
Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd.
3. Roberts A. R.  (1998).  ACSM and Exercise Physiology.  Past, Present and
Future.  American Society of Exercise Physiologists (1998).  Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline. 1:1 [Online].  http://www.css.edu/users/tboone2/asep/jan11.htm