What is exercise physiology, and how can it help you?
Jo and Matt Carman from Proactive Health Murray Bridge explain how their allied health discipline helps people of all abilities live their best lives.
This sponsored story is brought to you by Proactive Health.
Imagine tapping into top-level sports science and technology to support your everyday fitness and mobility, no matter your age or ability level?
It’s not a pipe dream – it’s a reality at this Murray Bridge health centre.
Proactive Health’s team includes experts in a whole range of allied health disciplines, but exercise physiology is where founders Jo and Matt Carman started.
What’s exercise physiology?
If you haven’t heard of it before, that’s okay – it was only recognised as a clinical service 20 years ago.
Jo describes it as the missing link between physiotherapy, which focuses on treatment of an acute injury, and everyday exercise.
A university-qualified exercise physiologist can prescribe you an exercise plan tailored to your individual needs and goals.
That might mean preventing, managing and treating a chronic health condition; maximising your athletic performance; or simply maintaining and enhancing your quality of life.
“The job of an exercise physiologist is to take you from acute treatment to more of a holistic approach,” Jo says.
“We’ll plan for whole-body function, whole-body movement – not just rehabbing an injury to your knee, but designing exercises for your back, your shoulder, your posture, your core, and giving you the foundational strength you need.
“We prescribe training programs, similar to what a personal trainer does; but we’re trained to manage cardiac health, monitor blood pressure, monitor oxygen saturation levels and provide a safe environment for people with more complex health needs.”
An exercise physiologist can assess your fitness and mobility before prescribing an exercise plan that's right for your goals. Photos: Jacob Jenning.
When you visit an exercise physiologist at Proactive Health, you’ll get:
- A comprehensive assessment, including a health screen, baseline measurement of your mobility level, and a review of your medical history
- A personalised plan: a structured exercise program designed for your condition, capacity, goals and lifestyle
- Active recovery support, with ongoing supervision, progress tracking and program adjustments
To do that, the team has access to some pretty amazing technology.
They can use force plates to see where your weight is distributed as you move or balance on the spot, and make recommendations that will steady your movements.
They can use a motion capture system – a bit like the ones used for computer-generated movie scenes – to analyse your body’s mechanics and identify any potential areas for improvement.
Using that data, you can compare your ability to the averages for people with similar characteristics, and track your progress over time.
That might help you prevent or recover from injury, return to work, improve your athletic performance, or simply live your best life.
Proactive Health’s Murray Bridge clinic is a safe, supportive environment, free of intimidation, where every activity is supervised and every exercise prescribed for your needs.
This is no gym, and there are no generic fitness programs.
In fact, Jo can even come out to your home or gym to check that you’ll be able to complete your exercises safely in your usual environment.
Because exercise physiology is a recognised allied health profession, you may be able to access Proactive Health’s services at a subsidised rate as part of a GP-prescribed treatment plan for heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, rehabilitation or even a mental health condition.
But you don’t need a referral to get started.
You can contact Proactive Health directly to discuss your needs.
Are you ready to start moving towards better health?
- Make an appointment: Call Proactive Health on 1300 890 507, fill in the form at pro-active.com.au or visit the clinic at 5A Chris Collins Court, Murray Bridge from Monday to Friday.
- More information: pro-active.com.au.
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Peri Strathearn
