PEPonline Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline An international electronic journal for exercise physiologists ISSN 1099-5862 Vol 11 No 5 May 2008   IMAGINING THE FUTURE OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY If We Do Not Change Our Future, We Shall Be Compelled To Endure It   Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC Professor and Chair Department of Exercise Physiology The College of St. Scholastica Duluth, MN 55811  Time is a three-fold present: the present as we experience it, the past as a present memory, and the future as a present expectation. -- St. Augustine In the spirit of why ASEP exists, I welcome the opportunity to share some thoughts with you about the future of exercise physiology.  My intention is not to rehearse what I've said in past meetings.  Rather I want to encourage you to use your powers of imagination.  Years ago I read an old Indian story about a brave who went out hunting and found an eagle's egg that had fallen from its nest but miraculously remained unbroken. The Indian took the egg and put it in the nest of a prairie chicken.  The eagle's egg hatched along with the other eggs in the nest, and the little eaglet grew up with the other baby birds. All his life the young eagle thought he was a prairie chicken.  He learned to do what chickens do:  “Scratch in the dirt for seeds and insects, cluck and cackle and fly just a few feet off the ground with wings thrashing and feathers scattering to the wind.” After all, that's how chickens fly.  They don't know any other way. Years passed and the young eagle became full grown.  One day he looked up and saw a magnificent bird high above in the cloudless sky.  The huge bird seemed to hang in the air, soaring with scarcely a beat of its huge, powerful wings. "What a beautiful bird!" he said.  "What is it?"  "That's an eagle – the chief of birds," somebody said.  "But don't give it a second thought.  You could never be like him." The eagle might have died after living the life of a chicken but, fortunately, he did give it a second thought.  On another day, as he scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects, he looked up and again saw that same majestic bird as it soared high above, its huge wings outstretched against the sky. Strange, he said to himself.  I, too, have giant wings and my feet have these huge claws that could be used for more than scratching the dirt. And so the eagle got a running start and leaped into the air, working his huge wings rhythmically and steadily as he had seen the huge bird do.  Instead of rising only a few feet as usual, he soared into the sky and found his true potential and destiny. What made the difference, you might ask yourself? When the chicken-eagle got another glimpse of excellence as it soared past, high above, something clicked inside.  He had always heard an inner voice whispering, "You can do more than this," but he had never responded.  He had taken the advice of his chicken companions who said, "Why make more dust than necessary as you scratch your way through life?  Settle for the status quo.  This is the way its always been!  It's safer than the wild, blue yonder." We are all eagles in a chicken world.  Or, should I say, "We are all exercise physiologists (or we want to be) in an exercise science world."  I believe that when we look to the ASEP initiatives and perspectives, we find our true identity.  And as we find out who we really are, we begin to do and be as "Board Certified Exercise Physiologists." The chicken-eagle story illustrates an awesome truth:  The person you see is the person you'll be.  You can commit yourself to the pursuit of excellence or you can settle for mediocrity.  You can reach your real potential or be content with far less.  Why not dare to think as a healthcare professional.  Anyone can be a fitness instructor or a personal trainer.  There are plenty chickens in the real world, often without a college degree.  All you have to do is develop the right attitude, get past your fears, and commit to the ASEP infrastructure that supports the professionalism of exercise physiology. The ASEP organization is here to stay, regardless of the challenges before it.  Can the leaders be sure of success?  No, but if they never give up, and if you and others think you can, too, and if you never, never give up, there can be success. This has already been demonstrated in so many of the St. Scholastica's EPCs. It all comes down to "Never Say Quit."  But, please appreciate what is meant by "Never Quitting" – Literally speaking, it means "giving your self completely over to ASEP.  How?  By starting with what you have where you are.  Nothing can take the place of persistence and determination.  How about starting an ASEP state chapter?  Or, how about accreditation at your institution?  How about writing an article on professionalism? Where there is a dream, there is hope, and where there is hope, there is faith.  I have faith that if not today, then, tomorrow, there will be EPCs who understand they are eagles, not chickens, who have the passion and knowledge to create their own career opportunities, and who are entrepreneurs with a dream to fly high above the mediocrity about them. There will be EPCs who have the ability to listen and to hear the message behind the ASEP words, to set priorities and refuse to spend time on things and even people who interfere with those priorities, to sort through the facts, behaviors, and feelings of the professionalism process, to assess what is important to their clients, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual, to sell their services to the young and old alike, and to athletics as well as clinical rehab, and to make professional and ethical decisions, and do so in a timely fashion. In short, if not today, then, imagine tomorrow, there will be EPCs who know how to go after their dreams and create new career opportunities that are both financially stable and credible. Over the next five to six minutes, imagine the following: While approaching the building to my right, I got the impression of something special about it.  I thought it might be a lawyer's office complex or big medical clinic.  I parked my car in the one spot that was available, off to the side.  As I walked towards the front of the building, I noticed the sign above the huge entrance.  It read "Exercise Physiology Sports and Healthcare Complex." I was excited to see what was inside.  As the door opened, a woman approached me with her hand out.  As we shook hands, she said: "Thanks for visiting the future of exercise physiology and healthcare in this country."  I was taken by the bold statement.  As I was led around the building from one room to the next, I was impressed with the colors and detail of the design process.  There were trees and plants of all kinds that glistened in the sunlight.  On the wall above the main desk for access and direction to the inner workings of the Complex was one of my favorite quote by Albert Einstein:  “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” There were several rooms just to my left with athletes of all ages who were hooked up to metabolic analyzers, other rooms had post-MI patients exercising under the supervision of Board Certified EPs, and still another room with numerous smaller divisions within it with young and middle-age men and women. Some were being counseled for obesity, others for improving lean muscle mass and strength, and still others for various health conditions ( such as diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and cancer). There were more rooms than I had time to see or to ask questions about.  From underwater weighing to aerospace and altitude training, there were fancy computer-driven exercise testing equipment everywhere.  There were rooms dedicated to just computers, statistical software, data-reduction programs, and big-screen assessment tools; all were supervised by EPCs who, I was told, were writing research papers, grant proposals, and other in-house reports.  As we moved from the first floor to second, I noticed there were nurses, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength coaches working throughout.  I was told that they are responsible to the Owner and Director of the Complex, a Board Certified EP.  Everything and everyone looked professional.  This was especially the case as we turned to my right and enter another hallway.  There was an exercise physiologist in the front of a rather large room, talking about faith, spirituality, and health.  I was told that counseling by EPCs is a big part of the Complex. As we walked to the end of the hallway and took the stairs to the third floor, on one wall I read: "We are here to help you be stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually."  There were other "writings" and "affirmations" on the walls; all were designed to promote self-esteem, positive thinking, health, and well-being.  You had to be there to see it.  I was thoroughly impressed.  Clearly, they knew what they were talking about.  There was a feeling of "something really fantastic" is happening inside the Complex. The EPC who was showing me around said that the future of the profession of exercise physiology has no limits. The doors are open for more opportunity to sustain personal financial stability and, yet do so with a reasonable and fair cost to the client than ever before.  She told me that their recent hires had graduated with a mixture of an exercise physiology and business courses.  There were brochures everywhere.  One caught my attention with the title, "A Revolution is Now Taking Place in Healthcare, and EPCs are at The Heart of the Change Process."  Then, just as I put the brochure down, a teenager confided to me, "I am down in weight.  I'm getting stronger, and I like myself more.  My EPC has helped me get over being so angry, resentful, and jealous of others.  I don't think it would be the same at a fitness gym." I was told that exercise physiology, as a healthcare profession, allows Board Certified EPs to achieve as much or as little as they are determined to do so.  I was told that the image of exercise physiology is one of lifelong learning in both the scientific aspects of sports training and related human endeavors and healthcare, especially in terms of personal satisfaction, opportunity, and caring.  Clearly, the community in which the Complex is located has reached out to it and values its presence. It was all there in this Exercise Physiology Sports and Healthcare business.  I left it thoughtfully and significantly excited, not just for those who are helped by it, but for the students who want to be exercise physiologists.  As I made my way back to my car, I passed a high school athlete bouncing a ball, a mother with her young child, maybe 5 or 6 years old, a lady who looked to be in her 80s, and man and his wife who looked anxious and would appear to benefit from counseling.  As I looked back they were entering the Complex. It was then that I understood the inscription on the outer wall of the building, The "Prescription" that Rescues YOU. Frankly, I was deeply touched and wondered how many other things I had missed.  I should have known this all along, for I was told that the owners of the Complex had a deep visceral interest in and dedication to exercise as the core ingredient to athletic performance and effective healthcare.  As I got in my car, I found myself reflecting on the fact that exercise physiology was more than acute and chronic changes to regular exercise.  I drove away wondering how many other things I had failed to see or experience. Why has it taken so long to discovered the power of exercise to build, sustain, and to heal.  Then, at that moment, I knew I needed  to help others develop their ability to see what they had failed to see. You might think it's too soon to start imagining your life after college.  Let me tell you that it is important to start the exploration process earlier than later. Imagine an athletic and healthcare complex in which every encounter is as respectful, as kind, and as supportive as possible.  Imagine EPCs doing it better, faster, cheaper, and with greater compassion. Creative visualization is the ability to use your imagination.  To see images in our minds, which are backed by determination and foresight will make them come true, and such images will put the EPC on the right path to financial stability, professional credibility, and personal satisfaction.  Remember, if you are a Board Certified Exercise Physiologist, you are rare!  The value of something is determined by how rare it is.  Pearls, diamonds, and gold are all rare, just like the Board Certified Exercise Physiologist.  There are 159 EPCs in the world!  Of course the number will grow.  If you are a Board Certified EP, you are not like the mass-produced individuals with non-exercise physiology certifications.  Your role in breaking the fear barrier that grips the change process is important.  No one will ever talk, think, or write like you.  You are important to ASEP and the profession of exercise physiology.  You are special.  However, please appreciate there is a price!  Vision always demands a cost.  Ours is a legacy of the first-ever professional organization of exercise physiologists.  It is worth preserving.  We must move forward with courage and determination, and that is exactly what the ASEP leaders intend to do.         Copyright ©1997-2008 American Society of Exercise Physiologists   All Rights Reserved.