Before you visit the lifestyle consultant, he or she will collect the necessary medical details so as to get an idea of your health and medical history. In most cases, the lifestyle consultant is a medical assistant at your GP’s surgery but could also be a local dietitian or physiotherapist.
During your first appointment, the lifestyle consultant will ask you about any sports or exercise you might already be doing and also what you want to achieve by taking part in the BeweegKuur. He or she will also ask you questions about your health and about any symptoms you might have. This will give the lifestyle consultant an idea of your current lifestyle and ways of improving it. Together, you will consider which sports or exercise activities are best suited to you. Special attention will be paid to your own wishes in relation to exercise:
- What kinds of things do you enjoy doing?
- What kind of organised sports and exercise activities are there in your neighbourhood?
- What suits with your budget?
What next?
The lifestyle consultant refers each participant to a dietitian for an individual consultation. Most participants get a referral for an exercise ECG test, or cardiac stress test, as well. This is an examination that is used to detect heart defects that arise through exercise. The exercise ECG is also known as walking or cycling test. Exercise ECG tests usually take place in an Institute of Sports Medicine, a GP laboratory or a hospital. The results of this test provide information about the supervision you will need while exercising or doing sports. Depending on these results and the consultation, the lifestyle coach will decide whether you can start exercising independently. If not, the lifestyle coach will refer you to a physiotherapist.
Customised exercise plan
You and the lifestyle consultant or physiotherapist will work out a customised exercise plan. This plan matches the exercise programme you will be following and your own wishes in terms of exercise. You will start working with this exercise plan yourself, if necessary with the help of the physiotherapist. The plan will be reviewed in each of the follow-up appointments with the lifestyle consultant or physiotherapist.
