[2] There is an enormous amount of evidence proving that exercise (when prescribed as a medical treatment) is effective at preventing and treating most of the major chronic diseases,[3][4] including cancer,[5] cardiovascular diseases,[6][7] arthritis,[8] osteoporosis,[9] back pain,[10][11] diabetes,[12] depression and other mental illnesses and falls in the elderly.

[21] Although multiple mechanisms are possible, the relationship between exercise as measured by accelerometer data and cardiovascular mortality is strong (inverse, non-linear).

[24][25][26] Exercise both prevents and treats mental illnesses, including depression in particular,[27][28][29] with positive effects likely for anxiety,[30] bipolar disorder[31] and suicidality.

Basically, sport is exercise with an added element of competition (whether against an opponent or oneself, aiming to maximum performance improvements).

[54] Examples of low-value care include knee and shoulder arthroscopy, spinal fusion surgery[55] and opiate prescription for chronic non-cancer pain.

The concept of 'Exercise is Medicine' is that all medical specialists should be prescribing exercise regularly as an adjunct to a standard consultation.

Exercise Medicine specialists also consult a smaller subsection of the population who are temporarily over-active and require a slight reduction in load in order to overcome injury or chronic pain.

The concept of 'Exercise is Medicine' is as a 5-minute addition to almost every medical consultation, treating exercise as a 'vital sign',[65][66] which has the potential of enormous reach.