Optimal Health Exercise Physiology

16/02/2022

Hey hey!! Thanks to our Lord Mayor Sally Capp for the acknowledgement of our (apparently reasonable) service to The City of Melbourne over the last 12 years. Thanks to our community for trusting us with your health, particularly during the last two crazy pandemic years! We've LOVED seeing you all grow and evolve your narratives about what is truly possible in life when you have a body that finally cooperates 😊

Big love to our remarkable team past and present: Jono, Bec, Sam, Nik, Bianca, Jeremy, Sean, Jordan, Alister, Liam, Alex, Jake, Jason, Sarah, Katie and Argie. You do inspiring things every single day, and are executing the mission violently 🙏

Now it's time to get straight back to work, and continue to empower people to live better lives through movement 💪

17/02/2021

Have you noticed that during this pandemic you seem to be feeling worse? Not just emotionally - but physically too? Pain and health issues are spiking during this pandemic, and it's not a coincidence. It makes intuitive sense: to varying degrees we're all stressed, isolated, sad, and cut off from normal coping strategies. But this connection between emotions and pain is not obvious to most.

We now know that pain is multi-factorial. That means physical tissue damage only tells some of the story. A select few of the other things that contribute and "amplify" your pain experience include:

- stress (relationships, work, financial)
- fear of movement
- worry and frustration
- anxiety
- poor sleep
- lack of social connectedness
- lack of confidence managing and dealing with your pain

Next time you find that your back aches a little more than usual, there may be more to the story. A more complete approach to dealing with pain is to:

- increase your physical capacity, strength and mobility
- identify and bring attention to other contributors
- learn to do the things that are important to you in life despite your pain

Thanks to Rachel Zoffness for touching on this topic in this article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pain-explained/202102/why-your-body-hurts-during-the-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR05ZVf1XP82uWVpyPd0sNailnZIf8M235Z_6Oyx1hBt4I7uf41e9YdZ42Y

Health problems and pain are exacerbated during periods of stress.

15/12/2020

Thanks Michelle, Josh and Alyssa for the passionate conversation about exercise and movement!

Had a great meet and greet with Yujin from Optimal Health Exercise Physiology. They are an exercise physiology group on a mission to get people moving and keep them moving! Now that’s a ‘movement’ we can get behind!

22/10/2020

We are open to everyone again, either in-person or online!

Looking to get back into exercise? Intelligently rebuild your body, lose your lockdown weight, and overcome your injuries. Get in touch to discuss whether coming into our studio, seeing us online, or a mix of both would suit you best.

03/09/2020

Are you struggling to stay in shape during lockdown? Neighbourhood walks not quite cutting it? Do you have pain or injuries that are holding you back? Achieve the body and health you want by booking an online video appointment with an exercise physiologist:

✅ Exercise in your own home. No equipment needed!
✅ A strategic plan aligned with your body and goals.
✅ Complete a tailored exercise session in the same time it takes to watch a Netflix episode.
✅ Injuries, pain, and medical conditions will no longer hold you back.
✅ Be guided by the most qualified exercise professionals in the country.
✅ Achievable steps to keep you motivated.

Not being able to visit our studio doesn’t mean you need to put your health on hold! Get in touch so we can show you how easy it is to get started on your health journey.

10/07/2020

Wow, thanks for articulating your thoughts so beautifully Ali!

"Since we were first in lockdown in March I have been undertaking training sessions online rather than face to face. At first I was reluctant to try this: I expected to feel self-conscious in a new way, and also that I might find online sessions at home intrusive. But I am so pleased that I tried it out. My strength and flexibility continue to grow, at the same or similar pace as in the gym, and it is such an efficient use of my time —no travelling, and I can fit it in more readily to a working day. Another unexpected benefit has been coming to see any place as a good place to exercise: it frees me from a dependency on gyms and their specialised equipment. Looking now at the uncertain trajectory of our lives in the context of Covid10, the kind of personalised online training that Optimal Health offers seems to be very much the shape of the future."

09/06/2020

Do you want to exercise but feel you are limited by your pain, injury, niggles, weight, age, or a health condition? Do you need another level of care to what a standard personal trainer, group exercise class, or pilates class can offer?

At Optimal Health all personal training is delivered by our Masters level Accredited Exercise Physiologists. Our deep understanding of the complexities of pain, medical conditions, and exercise science allow us to formulate an exercise plan which will help you achieve your specific goals.

Our Exercise Physiologists can help you:

• Exercise in an all-inclusive, non-intimidating environment
• Decrease your pain and increase your function
• Achieve and maintain your goals, even when life gets busy
• Get active, no matter what shape you are in
• Galvanise your body against future injury
• Build strength and confidence in your body
• Eliminate injuries, pain, and niggles
• Cut through the confusion – learn what to do, and how to do it
• Return to, and thrive doing the meaningful activities in your life

13/05/2020

*Re-opening - CBD studio*

Seven weeks ago, we decided to temporarily close our studios despite being encouraged by the Federal Health Minister to continue delivering EP services. We did this as we felt that being conservative was warranted to protect the community, whilst we took the time to understand the intricacies of the unprecedented situation at hand. We are now satisfied that Victoria is in a better position to manage COVID, and are trusting and aligning with the current state and federal government strategies moving forward. Victoria has done a great job and we are grateful for that.

We are reopening this week:

• In-person sessions are now available again where appropriate**. If you are interested in an in-person appointment, please contact your EP directly. We currently have no reception desk service, so please be patient whilst we try our best to action requests.
• For now, we are only operating from our private, low volume CBD studio. If you have been attending our Parkville (Melbourne Uni) location, your EP will now be operating from the CBD until further notice.
• If you currently have a telehealth session booked, it will remain as telehealth unless discussed with your EP.
• If you prefer online (telehealth) sessions, it will still be one of our core services ongoing, and for the foreseeable future.
• There is also the option of doing a combination of in-person and telehealth sessions as appropriate.

In order to protect the health of our community, the following are currently in place (these may change as advice changes):

•**Those at a higher risk of complications from COVID (as defined by The Department of Health) are recommended to use telehealth for now. Your EP will discuss this with you on a case by case basis.
• For those with cold/flu like symptoms, please reschedule your appointment
• Our team have all completed The Department of Health's COVID-19 Infection Control training
• Our team have all had the flu vaccination
• Reduced number of practitioners operating (we share the studio with an osteopath practice and will work together to ensure this is under control)
• Cleaning of equipment and surfaces after each client use
• Increased distancing as per recommendations
• We recommend washing your hands or using hand sanitiser before and after each session
• As usual, please bring a towel and your own water bottle

Final note:
I'd like to express deep gratitude for the support shown so far during this period. Everything from allowing us to continue helping you via telehealth, the kind words, the messages of encouragement, the unexpected prepaid sessions - this has all been very touching and so greatly appreciated by our whole team! Because of you, we have so far been able to stay just afloat during this extremely challenging time.

Stay healthy,
Yujin, Katie, Bianca, Sean, Sarah, Jordan and Jason

29/04/2020

We've worked hard on optimising our online sessions (telehealth) to ensure that we're still helping you to move towards your goals, wherever you are. The feedback so far generally reflects that online sessions are surprisingly easy, convenient whilst working from home, and very challenging in a new way. We also hope we've helped you to discover that your "home is a space for exercising"!

We'll be continuing to offer telehealth sessions ongoing, even when we resume in-person sessions. We'll be closely monitoring the government review on May 11th and if all goes well, we hope to be re-opening our studios shortly thereafter, when safe to do so. Take care all!

24/02/2020

Thanks to the health and fitness professionals that attended Yujin and Heath's Exercise Prescription Workshop. We explored the fundamental principles of exercise, the nuances of individualised rehab, training to work around injuries and medical conditions, and central strength patterns. Many satisfying light bulb moments evoked from this bunch!

Thanks to Myotherapy Association Australia for facilitating, Crossfit Metal Therapy for your hospitality and Principle Four Osteopathy for the teamwork.