Your exercise physiologist — the Sherlock Holmes of your active life
Good exercise physiologists are like detectives — our job is to investigate problems and find solutions, in that order.
You may think that as an exercise physiologist, all I do is write you an exercise program. And I may do, but producing the program can be complex.
Our first session is a comprehensive initial consultation, Investigate. As well as the pre-exercise screening questions that all fitness professionals should ask, I will probe many other aspects of your life and background, and take you through a detailed assessment and analysis of your posture and various movements.
Why is this any of my business?
For example, I would like to know about your daily life, your typical weekly schedule and commitments, your family, and your health and medical history. As importantly, I’ll delve into how exercise and physical activity sits with you. What do I mean by that, and why is it any of my business?
But first, a couple of definitions are needed, as exercise and physical activity are two separate things.
According to the World Health Organisation (www.who.int), physical activity is any sort of movement that requires muscular contraction. You can partake in all kinds of unstructured ways: shopping, gardening, housework, or walking to work. Current guidelines from the W.H.O. recommend 150 minutes a week. This can include 75 minutes of more intense and vigorous activity.
Exercise, on the other hand, is a specific type of physical activity with set and measurable goals such as improving strength, fitness, or flexibility.
How does activity and exercise fit into your life?
Before I write an exercise programme or provide any advice about physical activity or exercise, I need to learn where exercise and physical activity fit into your life.
Do you enjoy being active? How active are you currently? What sorts of exercise or activities have you done or tried before? What do you like or dislike? What sort of attitude do you have to exercise — a go hard too soon and always get injured approach?
Or maybe you were super sporty in your younger days but 20 years on, and now, as a mature adult, you’re sedentary, busy, but yearning to recapture that youthful fitness, without knowing how?
At the other end of the spectrum, you may be an over-exerciser who trains rain, hail, or shine, and regardless of illness or injury. I help you, over time, to find a balanced approach to your regimen of exercise and activity.
Do you need a written program?
Writing a brilliant exercise program is futile if it misses your reluctance, inability, or fear of commitment to exercise. Sometimes I may not write a program at all, but work out with you simple, considerate strategies to ease some realistic levels of physical activity back into your daily routine.
I write your exercise program with knowledge of the science of exercise and, like medicine, recommend dosages: how long, how much, and how often.
Achievable strategies for exercise and health
Some of my questions may appear unrelated to exercise. But by gaining an insight into your lifestyle, your health, and your history with movement, exercise, and injury, I can map out an achievable strategy for your return to exercise, health, and well-being.
Musculoskeletal integrity is the gateway to health, and the key to your active and vigorous adult life. Musculoskeletal issues affect everyone through the years. They can have serious health consequences, with physical inactivity linked to many chronic physical and mental conditions. The World Health Organisation (www.who.int) ranks physical inactivity as the fourth highest risk factor for mortality.
My exercise physiology practice combines my various skills and training built around strength and conditioning, cardiovascular exercise, and Pilates for musculoskeletal rehabilitation and flexibility. I also know from 18 years of experience that no single one of these elements holds the answer to your well-being.
Detective work never stops
My detective work for and with you never stops. My role in your world is to improve your musculoskeletal health, and to help you to explore ways in which physical activity and exercise can deliver you a body that works.
Call Liz Hewett on 0466 314 645 for an initial consultation and assessment of your current levels of activity and exercise.
