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You have no doubt heard the statement that "It's not how much it's worth, it's how much people think it's worth." Now, be honest. Would you leap to your feet to join the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) if you didn't think other exercise physiologists thought highly of it. We have been taught all our lives to hesitate a bit when a deal is simply too good. But once someone else is willing to join ASEP, then we tend to go along. The more who join, the greater the demand, and the more likely we are to be part of the organization. Our sense of what something is worth derives not from the intrinsic value of the organization itself but rather from the demand that has been created for it.

Okay, but what is the demand for an organization for exercise physiologists? It is very simple. Exercise physiologists are asking themselves a few simple questions. What is it we need that sports medicine isn't providing? How can we create our future, create a demand for it, and sell it to the public? This kind of thinking, where exercise physiologists have become their own politicians, is conspicuously different from past thinking.

It's critical to know what exercise physiologists really want. Is it recognition, respect, a feeling of importance -- things all of us care about. Now if you believe, as I do, in the value of an academic education, all of us want the public to understand what we have achieved and what we do with it. Because exercise physiologists are educated professionals, they want to manage their careers.

The payoff is an exercise physiology professional. But, first, the struggle and hard work of building an organization and, then, the proof is in the product. Exercise physiologists are for the first time in history selling themselves. In my opinion, it is an idea long in coming. Exercise physiologists as fitness personalities, negotiators, and entrepreneurs are as vital to society as other professionals. The "good old days" no longer define the exercise physiologist.

I Don't Know Who You Are
It is true that across the United States, the layperson (and many medical doctors and other healthcare providers) have very little knowledge of what exercise physiologists do. Ask a roomful of physical therapists what the sweetest sound in the world is and they will tell you it is their national association. It paves the way for them professionally. That is why exercise physiologists need their own private club! The American Society of Exercise Physiologists is a selective membership organization to create an atmosphere that makes it easier for attaining professionalism.

It amazes me that so many exercise physiologists are seized by sports medicine and act as if they can continue to cling to their jobs without having to define themselves. They are wasting time in the time-consuming behavior of sports medicine. Their energy needs to be spent in managing their professional development. The self-discipline it takes to sell the exercise physiology profession is tough as it exceeds the average expectations many have to give.

Setting Goals
Part of the problem is that many exercise physiologists don't have a destination. Without knowing where they are going, it is likely they will never get there or, at the very least, have continued difficulty in getting there. One way of keeping track of where exercise physiologists are going and persuading others to do the same is to set goals and develop a plan to achieve the goals.

Recently, a graduate student asked me the following questions: "Does ASEP have long-range goals?" I responded, "Yes." "How long are the long-range goals?" I responded by saying, "Twenty years." What is needed to carry out the goals is "patience." But, what is important for now is that the dream of achieving respect exercise physiologists deserve is a goal with a deadline. It is that simple, and it is achievable.

All we have to do is believe in ourselves. It is possible in twenty years to graduate exercise physiology professionals as is presently being done by several popular professional academic programs. They also had their beginning, and they too struggled to achieve the impossible. Remember Roger Bannister and the four-minute mile? All it takes is one person to prove that it can be done.

We must believe in ourselves, and then we can change the public's perception and view of exercise physiologists. Members of ASEP are proving, as pioneers in the field, that it can be done. They are trying out new ideas and meeting new challenges. They will become the new role models to measure up to.

Think about it. Project yourself into a different society; one that embraces the exercise physiologist much the way students of other professional programs are accepted today.