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On this page we will review how to use pedometers in clinical practice, look at writing exercise prescriptions, and then review other methods of encouraging patients to exercise.
Now that you have learned some about enhancing your patients ability to exercise, continue to the next section to read about nutrition's role in treating depression.
Do you offer suggestions to your patients about incorporating additional exercise into their daily routine? Useful recommendations include: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking the car farther away in shopping center lots, and walking short distances during the work day rather than driving.
If your patients have a difficult time thinking of alternative approaches to exercise, you might want to try using motivational interviewing techniques to help them remember exercise techniques and regimens that have worked for them in the past (this link goes to a website outside the U-M curriculum).
For patients who do not like walking, other enjoyable exercise options include:
Dancing
Creative movement
Gardening
Yoga
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