The epidemic of sedentary behavior is a serious public health issue that
requires the attention of exercise physiologists. The American Society of Exercise
Physiologists (ASEP) is playing a key role in providing a profession-specific
infrastructure for exercise physiologists as healthcare professionals. After all, exercise
medicine is a credible treatment and should be prescribed by Board Certified Exercise
Physiologists. Exercise medicine is the new treatment for heart disease, hypertension,
hyperlipidemia, osteoarthritis, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis,
sarcopenia, aging, sleep apnea, and depression. Aside from Board Certified Exercise
Physiologists practicing exercise medicine guided by their own Code of Ethics and
Standards of Practice in their own healthcare clinics, it is inevitable that they will
become members of the medical team. Exercise physiologists should join the ASEP
organization, support it, and speak up to help with the professionalization of exercise
physiology.
Keywords: Accountability, Board certification, Code of ethics, Credentialing,
Exercise medicine, Exercise physiology, Healthcare profession, Professional.
