Activity MD - Medically Driven Omaha Fitness Program

How Activity MD Works

True functional medicine focuses on primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease. It takes into account an individual's balance of internal and external factors; interconnected physiological factors and health as a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.

Medically driven fitness integrates a fitness standard to assist the doctor during a functional physical exam to establish a starting point for lifestyle change in the patient to reduce long-term dysfunction. This is done using numerical equations based on Isaac Newton's laws of motion.

The body is an organic, moving machine that requires a certain amount of force and must overcome gravity in order to function properly, utilizing Newton's three laws of motion. These laws are:

1) an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless a force acts upon it;

2) the force acting on an object is equal to the object’s mass multiplied by its acceleration,

3) for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

These are the same laws of motion that are used for any other type of machine, such as in the aerospace, nautical or automobile industries. All are grounded in mathematical science that is unarguable. The body is a machine, similar to a car, in that to make it run optimally, it requires a specific amount of gasoline (calories taken in) to make it move a certain distance (metabolic standard). It also requires proper alignment (or balance/symmetry) to function correctly. We can use these laws to determine an individual's level of functional fitness.

Functional fitness focuses on building a body capable of doing real-life activities in real-life positions. It is the body's reaction to the force of gravity during exercise or lifting weights, whereas nonfunctional fitness separates the body from gravity using a pulley or other device. For example, you might think you are fit because you are able to perform well at a gym on a weight machine, but when it comes to lifting a suitcase you end up throwing your back out; in other words you may be physically fit, but not functionally fit.

This form of motion as it relates to health standards is much different than how movement is currently used by medicine. Typically, once an individual is able to get out of bed at a hospital, they are deemed physically fit to be discharged. However, using Newton's laws of motion as they relate to functional fitness, we'll be able to bring medicine to a new forefront and with better outcomes.

During a functional physical exam, a number of areas are evaluated. The points of analysis include muscular symmetry (front to back, left to right, and top to bottom), postural issues (the goal is the "perfect" plumbline alignment when viewing the standing patient from the side; ear, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle), and balance. The starting point is the establishment of a lifestyle change to reduce or prevent longterm dysfunction. The base standard is to establish a baseline of metabolic function by determining the patient's O2 consumption (VO2) (how much oxygen the body uses at rest to maintain basic life functions).

A risk standard will be set based on past medical history, family history and social history, to include present activity level. Critical objectives will be identified for a lifestyle plan. Goals will be set through functional activity and functional exercise to reduce or prevent current health risks. Functional requirements for motion will be discussed. Periodic monitoring will be done. Performance will be tracked. Biomarkers will be identified (baseline VO2, skin fold analysis to determine lean muscle mass, weight goals, blood pressure monitoring, and nutritional status). A thorough medical questionnaire will be answered by the patient to assist the doctor in arriving at these goals.

Consistent and constant monitoring will allow the doctor to identify dysfunctional changes as they occur. A proactive decision tree is then instituted, and the appropriate medical, nutritional and/or functional changes can be made. This represents the basis of health enhancement versus healthcare.