exercise

online exercise prescription

Online exercise prescription

Online exercise prescription 1920 1009 Ace Health Centre

Online exercise prescription

One of the biggest factors to consider regarding patient rehabilitation and positive outcomes is exercise adherence. Patients no matter the condition are likely to get some form of home exercise program to continue progressing at home. It is reported as high as 50% of patients do not complete their exercise prescribed by the therapist thus limiting their rehabilitation. Often barriers to exercise adherence include lack to time, lack of understanding of exercises, forgetting how to complete the exercise or the prescription regarding sets and repetitions.

So what do we do to combat this?

We use an application called Physitrack for our online exercise prescription. Physitrack allows clinicians to prescribe individualised home exercise programs. Physitrack has multiple user-friendly features including demonstration videos with audible cues for the exercise, allowing the therapist to easily alter the repetitions, sets and resistance for each activity as well as a section for the clinician to add any specific notes for cues they want their patient to remember.

During the consult, we sit down with our clients and educate them on how to download pysitrack and view their program. We also print out the program for our patients which documents, the exercises, exercise explanations, the repetitions and more. We can also put individual notes from the physio to make sure you have everything written down and easy to understand. All these features make exercise adherence easier for the patient thus helping the patient stay on track for a speedy recovery.

Our podiatrist also uses this programme in order to give his exercise programmes. Each clinician can log in and view each person’s programme making it easier to work between practitioners and modalities. This communication between practitioners leads to much better client care.

Online consults

The use of this application also means that we can do online telehealth consultations. Over the phone, we can simply email your exercise programme to you, and know that you will have all the details you need to perform it correctly.

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The Importance of Exercise

The Importance of Exercise

The Importance of Exercise 800 864 Ace Health Centre

The Importance of Exercise

 

Why exercise?

Exercise has so many benefits which go beyond just being able to lift heavier weights. Exercise has been shown to benefit mental health, energy levels, weight management, injury prevention, decrease falls risk, decrease mortality, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, increase muscle and bone health, reduce in risk of chronic health conditions, and can even help decrease the risk of some cancers.

 

What if I don’t like going to the gym?

We typically think of exercise as going to the gym and lifting heavy weights. However, exercise can mean different things to different people. Exercise should be something you enjoy or doing something with a group of friends to make it more enjoyable. Exercise can be as simple as going for a daily walk, swimming laps in the pool, riding a bike, surfing, and of course, going to a gym. What if you don’t like the gym environment but like the idea of using weights or other gym equipment? There are plenty of ways to build up a home gym with weights and equipment if you have the space, or you can join an exercise class with others to help make it a more social event throughout the week. The important thing is that you continue to ask your body to move within your limits and gradually increase the challenge as you see fit.

How should I get started?

Finding something you will enjoy should be the main thing and something that you will want to do. A few ideas include getting 8,000-10,000 steps a day if you enjoy walking. If you do enjoy some weight lifting try to incorporate 2-4x/week to help increase muscle strength and bone health. If you find compliance difficult, start small with 10min a day and increase gradually as you make it part of your daily and weekly routine. Other tips could be after work try changing into exercise clothes so you build a habit of getting ready for exercise. You can even tell a friend or family member that if you don’t meet your exercise goal for the week you owe them a prize ($100, dinner out, picking up a house chore for them). If you’re starting small that’s great, the important part is that you’ve started. If you already do some exercise but are not sure if it’s enough, you should be trying to perform at least 150min/week of moderate-intensity exercise.

So whether you’re there already or getting there, keep up the good work and remember to continue building a habit that is sustainable so that you can enjoy more of life. And remember you can’t go wrong getting strong. Contact us today to help us prepare an exercise programme. 

Best Time to Exercise.

Best Time to Exercise? The Morning vs. Evening debate

Best Time to Exercise? The Morning vs. Evening debate 1000 625 Ace Health Centre

For many of us, finding time to exercise can be challenging. So when we do, it is important to make the most of it. Exercise Physiologists have been debating this topic for years and while the saying goes, “the early bird gets the worm”; however, this isn’t necessarily true as there is no one right or wrong answer.

 

Pros to exercise in the morning

What are the Pros to exercise in the morning

It’s out of the way in the morning

Many early risers state this is the reason they prefer morning workouts. You don’t have to worry about how you will feel at the end of the day or unexpected outings/events.

You will have increased energy for the rest of the day as exercise increases the level of endorphins.. maybe you won’t need that afternoon coffee to help get you through your day after all.

 

It’s better for weight loss

Exercising in the morning will kickstart your metabolism. This means that you may burn more calories during the day as opposed to when you are sleeping.

A 2018 study by Wallis and Gonzalez found conducting a single bout of aerobic exercise in an overnight fasted state increased the utilisation of fat as a fuel source, improved plasma lipid profiles, enhanced molecular signalling pathways related to fuel metabolism in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue (fat) and reductions in energy intake (food consumption) over the course of the day.

 

Your body is prepared

Sleep is the optimal time for your body to recover and repair used muscles and convert food into energy (glucose) for the following day. When you wake up, your body is fresh and ready for a workout. Of course,  provided you slept well.

However, this also means it will take a bit longer to warm your body up of a morning before going into beast mode to prevent injury.

 

More restful sleep

A regular exercise routine always helps with better sleep. Experts suggest a morning workout to really hit the hay hard. Early exposure to daylight in the morning will help your body to power down early at night.

In addition, researchers at Appalachian State University found morning exercise lowers your blood pressure which is correlated with better sleep as it triggers up to a 25% reduction at night.

 

Early birds are more consistent

It makes sense. You aren’t likely to have anything else to do at 6 am. Let’s be real, after a long day, sometimes all you really want is to go home and watch Netflix. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!

 

What are the benefits to exercise in the evening?

Pros of exercising in the evening

What are the benefits to exercise in the evening?

 

You’ll have a more relaxed morning

No need to rush to pack a gym bag, post work out meal, lunch and a change of clothes. You can sleep in and take your time in the shower without trying to be in and out in 30seconds at the gym.

 

You are already fuelled and warmed up

You’re 20% more flexible later in the day as your muscles are warmed up and joints are more fluid from being up and about all day, this means you are less prone to injury.

Research has shown you naturally have more energy between 2-6pm due to increased testosterone levels and as a result of this, you may be better prepared for a workout later in the day.

Furthermore, you may have more energy for a more vigorous workout as you likely ate lunch and some snacks throughout the day to fuel your body.

 

You’ll have a more intense workout

A study by the University of Chicago said post work gym-goers are likely to attain a higher level of fitness as they tend to work out harder.

Protein synthesis peaks in the evening making it an optimal time for weight lifting. Aerobic or endurance workouts are also likely to be improved in the evening too as the lungs are at peak efficiency.

It’s an excellent way to blow of steam
After a long/rough day at the office, a workout can have a large effect on de-stressing when trying to unwind and relax.. as opposed to a bottle of wine.

 

Improved sleep quality

As mentioned morning workouts were better for improved sleep; there is evidence to suggest that evening workouts can help too.

A study showed that those who lifted weights in the evening had longer and better sleep quality than those who lifted weights in the morning.

While there is evidence to support both morning and evening workouts, the best bet is to pick what best suits you and your long term fitness goals as it is more likely something you can stick with – so choose your time and get sweating!