Ten Minutes: I prescribe exercise

As we are all too aware, we're more sedentary now than at any point in human evolution. We do less, move less - we even stand less.

With this in mind, there is growing awareness of the importance of exercise and healthy diet in our lives. For many musculoskeletal conditions a growing number of doctors are throwing away their prescription pads and recommending a course of corrective exercise instead.

For the medical profession this is not without its challenges. After all, how seriously are you going to take instructions to work out more and eat better, when your doctor looks like he or she needs that advice more than you do? It's a bit like having an overweight or out-of-shape personal trainer - why take someone's advice if they obviously don't believe in it themselves?

Unsurprisingly, many doctors are finding that they are having to address their own lifestyles in order to set an example to their patients.

I have a number of doctors as clients. Staying in shape means they're better placed to advocate active lifestyle/healthy diet and more credible when they do it. And they're also seeing benefits in alertness, physical resilience and an improved ability to cope with the pressures of the job.

So, to the GPs out there ... if exercise isn't yet a part of your lifestyle, it's time you got started -your patients' wellbeing depends on it.

David Higgins is co-founder of TenPilates (tenpilates.com)