Doctor's Referral

moby_chick

Hi. I'm thinking of asking my doctor for a referral to the gym. I wondered if anyone else has done this and how you found it.

The_Gruffalo

I had this a few years ago when i lived in Sunderland still.

Found it to be really good and lost 2 stone from it but in my head i didnt want to lose the weight so let it slide if only i knew then what i do now

If you can get a referral i would say jump at it

Ben_1960

I did it.

I think it varies dependent upon which NHS trust you fall under and your local authority. In mine there were are strict guidelines they had to follow and I had to be over a certain BMI which I think was 32. Blood tests and form filling ensued.

I then chased up my local authority health referral group a couple of times before I was accepted on a 12 week programme. I attended the first weekly educational group meeting which to be honest was not for me as they treated everyone like children.

I persuaded the leader to let me just use the gym and attend the classes and he agreed after the usual compulsory induction. I pay £2 per session and the referral lasts for 6 month.

The gym and hall they use for classes only opened last October and was built onto the local pool so I could do the water based classes or swim for £2 at a time.

I only go to one class and do one gym session per week at the moment as most of my exercise is cardio based and I am lucky to have my own treadmill at home.

jenniferwren

My doctor referred me to the gym at the town sports centre, unfortunately they only give 'money off' the top package and this still made it nearly £40 per month which I couldn't afford so I paid for the basic package which was as much gym usage as you like and that was £20 per month, must be different under each authority :huh:

moby_chick

Thanks everyone for your replies. That's encouraging. My BMI isn't too big, but I have other health issues that would benefit from exercise and just getting out for a while. I'll go along to my doctor and see what she says.

kendrafallon

Thanks everyone for your replies. That's encouraging. My BMI isn't too big, but I have other health issues that would benefit from exercise and just getting out for a while. I'll go along to my doctor and see what she says.

if you know you will benefit from doing exercise on a regular basis, what's stopping you? You don't need a referral to start exercising, just do it!

farway

Thanks everyone for your replies. That's encouraging. My BMI isn't too big, but I have other health issues that would benefit from exercise and just getting out for a while. I'll go along to my doctor and see what she says.

if you know you will benefit from doing exercise on a regular basis, what's stopping you? You don't need a referral to start exercising, just do it!

I think it depends on health needs TBH, in my case I had back problems, and so needed specific back strengthening exercises, so chucking weights around or on a treadmill was not a good idea, in fact could've done more damage than good, so a check with GP is well advised.

Mine referred me to Physio gym in local NHS hospital where I received guidance on what to do & how to do it

susannahsutton1

Good luck, you can but ask.

I asked when I was told I was too overweight by a doctor to have a repeat prescription of the pill. But I wasn't SUFFICIENTLY overweight to get NHS help to get smaller. I was a bit unimpressed with that!

moby_chick

@kendrafallon Hi. I do exercise just now by walking the dogs, but I'm hoping I can get a gentle introduction to the gym with other people like myself who have health issues.

moby_chick

@farway Hi. Yes, that's what I'm hoping.... that I'd be advised on suitable exercises for me to do. I hope the exercise has helped your back.

moby_chick

@susannahsutto Hi. There seems to be no logic in that, Susannah..... too overweight for the pill, but no help with reduction. You should have pursued that.

I have an appointment with my g.p. next week. I'm not holding out much hope but, as you say, I can only ask.

jaz050465

@farway Hi. Yes, that's what I'm hoping.... that I'd be advised on suitable exercises for me to do. I hope the exercise has helped your back.

Any decent gym will advise you on a programme suitable for you. Why do you feel you need a referral? Is it the money, or the confidence you need? You could do a DVD at home or couch to 5k and could start today!!!!

jaz050465

Or Zion a Zumba class. If you look at the Zumba website, I'm sure you will find one near you.

farway

@farway Hi. Yes, that's what I'm hoping.... that I'd be advised on suitable exercises for me to do. I hope the exercise has helped your back.

It helped a lot, before that I was struggling to get out of a car, look over my shoulder, even get in the bath

The exercises, which I continue to do, have more or less returned me to normal, I still have to take prescribed pain killers now & then when I have perhaps over done some gardening for instance, but at least I can now do some gardening where it was physically impossible a few years back and I even had to employ someone to do it for me

So yes, if you have health problems then a GP referral is the way to proceed

naughtyfushsia_wechnaged

yea if ya can afford it lol, if you cant afford the gym on ya own now then ya wont under drs (sorry to be blunt) but i went to one and it cost £2.50 each session and it lasted 30 mins each time, to get benefit from it i went 3 times a week - 3 x £2.50 = £7.50 a week = £30 per month and some council run gyms have a gym only membership, fair enough ya gotta pay £30 joining fee but its £16.99 per month for 1 year contract and you can spend as much time as you want doing your sesion, look into in hun and you may have similar in your area and may workout (pun lol) cheaper for you to do the pay monthly contract, oh yea and the drs scheme is for only 12 weeks. good luck in what you decide x

farway

Mine was NHS, free, zero cost in local hospital, so go to GP first stop, so not being able to afford it just did not come into the mix, the exercises were monitored, as was heart etc & there is no ongoing cost at all, they taught me all I needed to know for my back exercises and I can now do them in my living room, for free

Vailara

I had a referral a few years ago, due to heart disease. The reason I asked for a referral was because the cheapest gym wouldn't accept me because of my health problems! The referral was for 3 months and I was assigned a trainer. It cost about £2.80 per session, I think and I went 3 times a week, so it wasn't particularly cheap (the gym I'd wanted to join was £20 a month which would have been cheaper).

If you can find a gym that will accept you with whatever health conditions you have, you might not need a referral and it might work out cheaper not to have one! But it's probably worth seeing if it's available. One of the advantages was having a trainer who was aware of my health problems (for instance, he understood that my medications affected my heart rate).

castadiva

@farway Hi. Yes, that's what I'm hoping.... that I'd be advised on suitable exercises for me to do. I hope the exercise has helped your back.

Any decent gym will advise you on a programme suitable for you. Why do you feel you need a referral? Is it the money, or the confidence you need? You could do a DVD at home or couch to 5k and could start today!!!!

Not good advice for someone who has health issues, which you may not be aware of. Anyone starting to exercise who does have issues of this sort is well-advised to see a GP first, at a minimum, and asking for a referral to a gym where people with expertise can assist with safe, condition-specific exercises sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Exercising at home, or without supervision can exacerbate some problems and I'm fairly sure those with physical conditions who exercise in supportive and knowledgeable environments have been proven to benefit more and stick with it longer.

Why are you so negative about someone seeking help, by the way?

ursiestar

My mother-in-law was fortunate to get a referral and found them to be extremely helpful and supportive and with their help managed to lose quite a lot of weight. I have joined several gyms independently over the years and have never found them to give me the level of support that she received. I would certainly recommend seeking a referral if you can. I personally feel you are doing the right thing by talking to you gp before undertaking exercise. Good luck with it x

moby_chick

Thanks Urs. I'm still debating it. lol As well as getting proper advice from my doctor, I thought it would be a good way of introducing me to the gym, e.g. in a group of people with similar problems to myself. Confidence is another aspect, as I have spent so long at home now that I'm beginning to feel like a bit of a recluse. However, I've put it on hold for now. Maybe at my age, more walking is the thing to do, instead of lots of strenuous cardiovascular exercise. I also think it's important for me to do some kind of toning and strengthening, which I can do at home.... got a book about Pilates from the library. :happy: I'm glad your mother-in-law had such a positive experience.

farway

Goodness me moby chick, I am ten yours older than you, please do not put yourself in the "at may age" slot. Walking is all good, I try and do a daily walk, about two miles, weather permitting. It certainly does no harm, look at the gardens and say hello to strangers

works for me

moby_chick

Lol, yeah, I know, farway. I'm not prone to those kind of comments, but I'm starting to consider my bones a bit more because 'women of a certain age' can be vulnerable to osteoporosis. I did running for a while last year, but got terrible shin splints so I stick to walking now. I like gardens too.... and saying hello to everyone. :happy:

IronSmasher

@farway Hi. Yes, that's what I'm hoping.... that I'd be advised on suitable exercises for me to do. I hope the exercise has helped your back.

Any decent gym will advise you on a programme suitable for you. Why do you feel you need a referral? Is it the money, or the confidence you need? You could do a DVD at home or couch to 5k and could start today!!!!

A decent gym would send you for a GP referral.

farway

Lol, yeah, I know, farway. I'm not prone to those kind of comments, but I'm starting to consider my bones a bit more because 'women of a certain age' can be vulnerable to osteoporosis. I did running for a while last year, but got terrible shin splints so I stick to walking now. I like gardens too.... and saying hello to everyone. :happy:

Ahh, the bones, I have a wonky knee completely beyond my control, mostly works but sometimes goes wobbly on me, so guess the " at my age" is sometimes justified

kendrafallon

Getting advice from your GP is definitely a good thing. However, you already do 'gentle' exercise and there's no guarantee you'll be in a group of people with similar issues or get a referral to a gym

where people with expertise can assist with safe, condition-specific exercises

Good luck to you