Woman being supported by an exercise physiologist while using a Lat Pulldown Machine in a gym.

Getting the right exercise advice

19 May 2023

In a world where it can be confusing to know where to find the right health advice, exercise physiologists (or EPs) are a go-to professional.

The team of exercise physiologists at Mates4Mates are here to help with veterans and family members with their health and exercise concerns, particularly for a specific injury, health condition or goal.  

The last week of May is Exercise Right Week and this year’s theme is ‘The Right Advice’, focusing on the importance of seeking personalised and tertiary-qualified advice for exercise, health, and sporting needs. 

Why EPs can give the right advice 

Exercise physiologists are trained to help people learn how to manage and prevent chronic health conditions or injuries through exercise and movement. 

Exercise physiologists can build individualised exercise plans to ensure you are exercising safely and benefitting from what you are doing, rather than putting yourself at higher risk of injury or exacerbating existing health conditions.  

As qualified experts in this field, exercise physiologists can recognise how specific exercises may do more harm than good, dependent on your condition. 

Exercising to improve injuries 

Movement is a method of recovery for many injuries and health conditions, but learning how hard you can go and when to return to exercise is where things differ per person.  

Taking it easy for a couple of days following an acute injury and returning to gentle movement and activity when tolerable can help promote recovery. 

However, for specific advice regarding ongoing injuries and health conditions, speaking to your doctor about getting a referral to an exercise physiologist can be beneficial.  

Exercise Physiologists can provide advice for anything from heart conditions to joint and muscle pain to mental health to neurological conditions, or how to get started with an exercise program.  

Support at Mates4Mates 

At Mates4Mates, we offer veterans and their families access to one-on-one sessions with exercise physiologists to discuss and tailor plans towards their specific needs.  

Our exercise physiologists are highly knowledgeable in helping to address common health concern within the veteran community including anxiety, depression, PTSD, persistent pain, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. 

Small group sessions are also available with different focuses including improving strength, clinical hydrotherapy, clinical matwork Pilates and Physical Training (PT) circuits.  

If you’re a veteran or family member and want to find out more about seeking professional advice at Mates4Mates to support your health and exercise concerns, reach out to us on 1300 4 MATES (62 837) for a confidential chat. 

Written by Cathy Rowe, Exercise Physiologist

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