Having just completed my tax return (who am I kidding, I wait until the 14th), my own personal finances are swirling around in my head. Wouldn't it be great if there were a way to reduce one of our major costs of living, like healthcare? Well, maybe there is! The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have launched an exciting national initiative called Exercise is Medicine™. The goal is to make physical activity and exercise a standard part of disease prevention and medical care in the United States, thus leading to overall improvement in the public's health and long-term reduction in healthcare cost.

For additional information on Exercise is Medicine™, go to http://www.exerciseismedicine.org/index2.htm or read this month's FITT column at http://www.ncpad.org/548/2487/The~Wonder~Drug~~Exercise~is~Medicine~~8482~~. For questions, feel free to contact the ACSM at 317-637-9200 ext. 127 or 133 or via email at publicinfo@acsm.org.

Send your questions and comments to Blythe Hiss, NCHPAD News Editor, at sbonne2@uic.edu.