Each year we celebrate ‘Exercise Right Week’. This is a national campaign aimed at encouraging all Australians to be more active and to know where to get the ‘right’ advice when it comes to moving more.

This year’s theme is ‘The Right Advice’.  

This year’s theme aims to  highlight the importance of seeking individualised advice for exercise, health, and sporting needs by qualified professionals..

In today’s world, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about what exercises to do, and what the best approach is for a specific health condition or goal. That’s why it’s more important than ever to seek advice from a qualified professional who can provide personalised guidance based on your unique needs.

People with little to no experience or training in health and exercise are often providing people with misleading advice, opinions and expectations. Not only can this be dangerous to an individual's physical and mental  health.

They are setting unrealistic expectations on what you can look like if you engage in a form of exercise or use their equipment and providing false information on how exercise can be beneficial for you. This false information can often lead to injury, further health problems and a negative association to exercise. This is due to people not achieving their goals and being misled towards an outcome that isn’t achievable. From there, people are even less  likely to engage in exercise at all!

‘Exercise Right Week’ is a celebration of our what our bodies can do and the benefits of exercise. So let's stop talking about the negatives and focus on the positives!

We all know how exercise is important for our health and well-being. 

Just to name a few, it helps with our:

• Cardiovascular system 
• Respiratory system 
• Mental health 
• Musculo-skeletal health 
• Weight management 
• Injury prevention and rehabilitation 

Now these are all great reasons to exercise, but let's dig a little deeper. Let’s  not forget about the social opportunities, the endorphins it releases, the feeling of accomplishment you can get and the enjoyment it can provide! I might be biased, but in my opinion exercise can make you feel pretty good about yourself!

For example, one of the reasons I like to exercise is the feeling of accomplishment it provides me. If I am out being active and doing something I enjoy I feel much better in myself and I am a happier person. If I know that I have done something that is good for me and have been productive. I also love the feeling of improving and achieving a goal I have set! 

I’m fortunate to enjoy lots of different forms of exercise and have no restrictions  which makes it easy for me. I enjoy going for a run, cycling, resistance training and playing team sports. On top of this I love engaging in outdoor physical activities like fishing, hiking and kayaking. While they might not be considered as ‘ structured exercise’ they are all great for my health and well-being.  

So what I want you to do is start exercising for all the right reasons, with the right advice! I want you to remove any negative associations you have towards exercise! To start with, find some reasons that will make you feel good about yourself and find something you enjoy. 

I understand that some people do have restrictions, health concerns and need guidance with engaging in exercise. If this is you, don’t worry! There is a form of exercise for everyone and sometimes you need some help to get there and some assistance. 

That’s where we come in. At EP Physio Plus we are lucky to have 2 Accredited Exercise Physiologists and 3 Physiotherapists who are all qualified professionals that can help you get moving safely and effectively today. 

If this is you and you need some help then call us on (08) 8682 6665 or head online to www.epphysioplus.com and book yourself an appointment.

-Tim Manning, Senior Exercise Physiologist.