Advice Pool - Health and Fitness

Exercise and physical activity….It amazes me how few people engage in it. It is something in our control that has been proven to make us happier, smarter, wealthier, feel better, and live longer, and yet a majority of the population does not do it.

The number of reasons why people exercise are seemingly endless. Perhaps no two people exercise for exactly the same reasons. Two descriptors that we use to classify motivators are intrinsic and extrinsic. It turns out that most people begin an exercise

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

program with intentions of losing weight, getting in shape, or being healthy. These are all extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards such as enjoyment and self-confidence are more lasting and, in my experience, more influential when used to adopt healthy behaviors. Most regular exercisers are “lifers” not because of weight loss reasons, but because they enjoy physical activity. They identify positively with the behavior and it becomes a part of their lifestyle.

Problems often arise when would-be exercis

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ers use extrinsic motivators to fuel workout sessions. One of the problems with relying on outside, or extrinsic motivators, is that they are difficult, if not impossible, to sustain over long periods. Some effective short term motivators are ineffective in promoting an enduring healthy lifestyle. For example, training partners can be very motivating, but unforeseen circumstances can become a deterrent to one of the partners’ adherence, which leaves the other partner hanging out to dry. It is too eas

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

to get sucked in to the laissez faire mentality that if your partner does not attend a scheduled workout, then you’re not compelled to do so. Timeliness is also a consideration in adherence to exercise. In incentive programs that run for 6 weeks, there is often a steep drop off in attendance once external motivators such as prizes and competition are no longer present. Essentially, the prizes or competition are the main things that motivate the participants to adhere. Once they are taken away, so

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

is the motivation to exercise. This is not conducive to sustaining a lifestyle of physical activity.

Just Do It!

Most beginners are overly worried about what they will do for their routine. I strongly feel that it is much more important in the beginning that they just do something. It doesn’t matter how much weight they can lift or how many sets and repetitions they complete…only that they begin to develop good habits. Later on, the workout program can be refined taking into account such thi

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

gs as level of fitness, enjoyableness, and convenience. These are the main factors that fitness professionals should consider when prescribing a workout program. A program that is too difficult, not enjoyable, or inconvenient would set up their client for failure!

Scale It Down

Even weight loss can not continue to motivate one indefinitely. As an example, say one wants to lose 20 lbs. and uses that goal as motivation to get back into the gym. They lose 5 pounds in the first week and feel gre

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

at, which carries them through the second and third weeks, when they lose another 3 and 2 pounds, respectively. They have now lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks, but hit a plateau. It becomes more difficult to drop any weight, but they push and push. It takes 3 months of hard work and they finally lose a total of 20 pounds. They hated exercise, but now that they have reached their goal, the motivation that carried them is no longer present. One’s motivation to exercise needs to transcend weight loss to be su

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

cessful in the long term…If you stopped receiving a paycheck, how much longer would you continue to go to work?

Far too many people rely on scales to gauge their progress in the fitness realm. In fact, the scale can have many shortcomings. I know that many women feel worse about themselves when they get off the scale and damaged self-esteem is very counterproductive to adherence. Conversely, the good feelings associated with exercise (via a sense of accomplishment, mastery, and neurotransmitters) ar

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

e immediate while it may take weeks for the scale to change. My main criticisms of the scale are that it does not account for changes in body composition, water retention, or variance between scales. The scale does more harm than good!

Baby Steps

When clients are just starting out, I like to concentrate on a “one day at a time” approach. Since beginners are such a high risk group for attrition, it is imperative that they focus on developing good habits rather than worrying about how much wei

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

ht they have lost. Oftentimes, beginners will attempt to do too much too soon and that can adversely affect adherence due to injury or burnout. Beginners should always start out slow and build upon their small incremental achievements. Success begets success.

Sweat the Small Stuff

Many small things can be done to improve one’s chances of success. Some of them include enlisting family and friends (a support network), engaging in activities that are enjoyable, setting goals that are specific,

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

measurable, attainable, realistic, and on a time schedule, attaching positive emotions to exercise and approaching it with a positive mindset. It is also important to be able to recognize the difference between a lapse (e.g., missing a few workouts due to a business trip or sickness) and a relapse (e.g., missing a few months due to laziness). Some other things are: Get in the gym or on the track, keep coming, forget about the scale, take before and after pictures of yourself, write down how you fee

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

l about yourself. Time management, convenience, scheduling workouts, finding a workout partner with similar goals and work ethic, taking ownership of one’s health, self-esteem, self-confidence, self efficacy learn to recognize barriers and how to counteract them via introspection. When undertaking an exercise regimen, a multifaceted approach is often prudent.

Strength in Numbers

For exercise adherence, one analogy I use is tying down a giant ala Gulliver’s Travels. One string would do nothin

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

to hold down the giant, but 100 or even 1000 tiny strings have the strength to hold it down. Try to think of the strings as different variables that affect adherence to exercise. With every variable that you can control in your favor, you are more likely to adhere. Each small thing that you control is like a string and many small strings can be very strong, so the end result is a better resolve.

It is relatively simple to show the compound effect that small things can have on adherence. For example

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

, Exerciser A works out at home (convenience) often with his wife (family support) and enjoys it thoroughly (enjoyment). Exerciser B, on the other hand, goes to a posh health club (cost) twenty miles away from his home (not convenient) and his wife resents the amount of time spent away from the family.

Enjoy It & Stay Positive

As much as I am hesitant to compare humans to canines, I will in order to illustrate a good point about exercise behavior. When training a dog to fetch, why don’t you

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

ave to constantly reward the dog with treats and praise? Because the behavior itself is the reward for the dog! Some dogs will happily play for hours and hours. I believe that people must have the same approach to exercise. When no other outside motivators are present, the exercise itself must be the reward. Many non-exercisers believe that physical activity is too time and energy consuming. Conversely, adherers know that it is invigorating and the rest of their lives run smoother as a byproduct of

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

it. I have had the opportunity to interview many regular exercisers and sedentary people alike about their exercise habits (or lack thereof). A majority of regular exercisers enjoy what they do and look forward to it. The manner in which one approaches exercise to a certain degree dictates their success in adhering. Exercise and physical activity must have inherent value to the participant. Value is very important in regards to exercise adherence. Simply put, we are more likely to engage in behav

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ors that we value than behaviors that we do not. Physical activity ranks very near the top of my priority list of what I do each day. This is where identity issues come into play. When I identify myself as an “exerciser”, that increases the likelihood that I will act consistently with the perception I have of regular exercisers. This is also interconnected to the feeling of belonging. Just as in other social circles, the need to feel like one belongs at the gym (or track or pool) is an important one.

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

Often, beginning exercisers perceive that other exercisers are judging and critiquing them. The need to feel like one belongs is strongly present in a new place like a gym. This “imaginary audience” creates anxiety for the beginner and makes it that much more difficult to continue to return to the gym. In fact, many commercial gyms now cater to the beginner and have private sections for them that are less intimidating.

The Bridge Between Knowing & Doing

Another analogy that I like to use is

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

of a bridge in regards to beginning and sticking to an exercise program. We have all been bombarded on a daily basis by media, doctors, and health professionals about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Most people know that they should be leading healthy lifestyles, yet lack the ability or motivation to do it. Why? There is a bridge between knowing and doing that is difficult to cross and the first step is the toughest. In short, extrinsic motivators often draw people to exercise, but it is for

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

intrinsic motivators that they keep coming. Motivators come in many shapes and sizes. It is important to be aware of the things that motivate you toward physical activity as well as the factors that deter you. This awareness will allow you to be more ready to counteract those things and become a lifelong exerciser. If I had to tell a new adult client just one thing about starting a new exercise program, then I would tell them,

“Keep exercising as if your life depended on it…because it does!”

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

Tags

Links

Advice Pool - How To Stick To An Exercise Program For Life

Related Articles: