According to a MedCity News article, health care tends to recommend exercise in the same casual way it offers general advice, rather than delivering it as a clinical intervention. The piece argues that movement should be treated more like a treatment plan, with the same rigor applied to other therapies.
The article identifies key gaps: patients are not formally assessed before exercise is suggested, and recommendations rarely include clear dosage, progression, or a plan for follow-up. Without those elements, advice alone may not translate into usable care.
The underlying point is not that exercise advice is worthless, but that it is under-delivered. If exercise were structured like a medical treatment, it would include monitoring and adjustment over time, allowing it to be handled as a serious part of patient care.