Come for the Lifestyle. HEALTH & FITNESS Exercise Is Medicine I Stay for the Friendships. Come and experience the incredible value and comfort of The Park at Trowbridge. Settle in and feel a genuine sense of belonging and purpose with a diverse set of friends both new and familiar. Our wildly popular LiveWeRprogram offers over 200 scheduled social, cultural, educational and fitness opportunities and outings every month, so there's always something fun to do. Learn new arts and crafts, play billiards or attend one of our exciting and lively exercise classes. Whatever it is you're looking for, you'll find it all here. See for yourself why our residents love our lifestyle of simple excellence and truly believe that "life here is grand." gite Ycoez at Trowbridge The Brightest Tomorrows Begin Here ® For more information or to visit, call today! (248) 352-0208 24111 Civic Center Dr. • Southfield, MI 48033 www.horizonbay.com A Houton be Sou. Cosuauxrrr Bring in this ad and receive 20%off a 2nd item of equal or lesser value expire on 4/15/68 ea!: New Margarita and Elisaireila Rogiam spring shipments have arrived! Yoga clothing, mat bags, accessories & more! Shop online 24 hours a day!! www,bluelotusyogawear.com 32644 Franklin Rd. • Downtown Franklin ;Old Gift People Building) 248.737.7300 Store Hours: Mon 12-4 • Tues-Sat 10-5 how do you get your news? Access the news, events and opinions important to this community check us out @ JNonline.us B6 March 27 • 2008 magine if scientists could develop a prescription drug that prevent- ed and treated dozens of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and obesity. The pre- scription would benefit anyone who takes it. Side effects would include healthy bones, muscles and joints, psychological well- being and reduced stress. My guess is that most people would take such a prescription. The good news is that this wonder "drug" already exists — it's called exercise. Exercise protects against heart disease by helping the heart work more efficiently, reducing blood pressure, raising HDL (good) choles- terol, decreasing the forma- tion of blood clots and helping people maintain a healthy weight. Sedentary people who begin a regular program of exercise reduce their risk of a heart attack by 35 to 55 percent. Despite the proven benefits of exercise, more than half of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. Cars, elevators, remote controls and other modern devices all help to engineer physical activity out of daily life. Extended workdays and long commutes add to the problem. Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults. More than a third of high school students do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity; daily participation in physical education classes has dropped dra- matically. It is clear that our nation needs to shape up. A new collaboration between the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) intends to help make this happen. The Exercise is Medicine initiative is a shared vision of the AMA and ACSM to help improve the health and well-being of Americans through a regular physical activity prescription from physicians and other healthcare providers. Nearly 30 organizations are involved with the exercise initiative, which was unveiled with a big news media splash last November. The Exercise is Medicine Web site (www.exerciseismedicine.org ) makes tools, training and referral mecha- nisms available for physicians and other healthcare providers. It also pro- vides helpful resources for policy mak- ers and advocates as well as for the general public. The Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System will be draw- ing upon these resources as they convene their own Exercise is Medicine work- ing group in order to be a leader in this important initiative. According to the World Health Organization, one of the major challenges in the prevention of non- infectious diseases and in the promotion of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle choices is communicating the importance of taking action now in return for future benefits. Despite the fact that preven- tion has been the major contributor to health gains, including 30 added years of life expectancy in the past century, most studies of health expenditures indicate that less than 5 percent of resources are devoted to prevention. Exercise is not just an option; it's a necessary and direct way for all of us to maintain good health, avoid ill- ness, improve the quality of our lives, reduce health care costs and extend life expectancy. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The first wealth is health." Let us invest our time and money wisely. Just 30 minutes of exercise per day can help prevent and treat numerous chronic conditions. Talk with your physician about the best exercise plan for you, and make physical activity part of your life and healthcare plan. ❑ Sharon Milberger, Sc.D., is associate direc- tor for research at Henry Ford Health System's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Detroit. Dr. Milberger is a member of the Exercise is Medicine Task Force. She lives in Farmington Hills. Her e-mail address is: smilberl@hfhs.org .