Exercise Physiology Services in Belconnen
Exercise physiology is a clinical area that focuses on lifestyle, movement, and engagement. It is a field that combines the principles of exercise science and physiology to help individuals improve their physical fitness and overall well-being. Exercise physiologists are trained professionals who work with people of all ages and abilities to develop personalised exercise programs that address their specific needs and goals.
Exercise and physical activity play a crucial role in the physical, mental, and social well-being of both children and adults. Unfortunately, statistics show that less than a quarter of Australian kids are meeting the recommended daily physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of movement. This is concerning because regular physical activity provides children with a wide range of developmental and health benefits. It not only helps them maintain a healthy weight but also improves their cardiovascular fitness, bone health, and muscle strength.
At Eat Speak Learn, our team of exercise physiologists understands the importance of physical activity for children’s overall development. We believe that exercise physiology can be a great complementary service to other services. By combining the expertise of all allied health disciplines, we can provide a holistic approach to improve children’s well-being.
Our exercise physiologists use evidence-based practices to empower parents and their children to participate in an active lifestyle. We work closely with parents to develop strategies that make exercise enjoyable and attainable for their families. We understand that every child is unique, so we create tailored exercise programs that foster social skills and self-confidence. By increasing a child’s participation in school, community, and recreational activities, we aim to enhance their overall quality of life.
How Exercise Physiology can benefit your child
Improve functionality, balance and mobility development, posture and muscle tone, cardiovascular fitness, strength and endurance, weight management, mental health and combat medication side effects. Exercise prescription for general ability, gross and fine motor skills & emotional regulation can easily be adjusted to suit Non-Verbal children.
Strategies and motivational interviewing to encourage family engagement in physical activity. Rehabilitation for chronic conditions within a broad range of neuromuscular, muscular and cardiovascular co-morbidities.
- Movement pattern, skill development.
- Whole body, biomechanics & musculoskeletal function.
- Pain Management and mobility.
- General skills, eg balance, coordination, jumping, gait, climbing, ball skills.
- Skill acquisition for functional and developmentally appropriate tasks.
- Endurance for performance of fine and gross motor tasks.
As part of a multidisciplinary model: Exercise Physiologists can facilitate social skill learning opportunities within our outlined prescription, as well as implementation of skills through provision of social exercise environments.
Tailored exercise prescription to meet individual sensory needs. Provision of tasks and activities that allow opportunities or strategies for self regulation.
FAQs about Paediatric Exercise Physiology
- Down Syndrome
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Global Developmental Delay (GDD)
- Neurological Disorders: Cerebral Palsy (CP), Muscular Dystrophy
- Respiratory Conditions: Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis
- Emotional and Sensory Regulation Issues
In paediatric allied health therapy, there is a lot of overlap in the services offered by the different professions. OT, Physio and EP will all engage children in some form of physical activity through play, an exercise program, or lifestyle intervention. However, the focus of each profession is slightly different.
Occupational Therapy: helps children with physical, sensory, or cognitive challenges increase independence and ease of everyday activities, essentially helping them to interact and engage with their world better accounting for their condition or any difficulties that may be present. This could be through play, self-care, prescription of aides or equipment, engagement in learning or social skills and participation.
Physiotherapy: offers interventions for children to help diagnose and treat musculoskeletal, post surgical, neurological and developmental presentations as well as sensory impairments related to hearing and vision. Physiotherapy also helps children with biomechanical, positional and sports injuries. This is achieved through play, manual therapy, measurement for and fitting of equipment and aides, education and exercise prescription.
Exercise Physiology: use tailored exercise prescription to help people of all ages improve their health, quality of life and daily functioning. These interventions are evidence-based and include health and physical activity education, advice and support, and lifestyle modification with a strong focus on achieving behavioural change. Exercise Physiologists employ psychologically informed practices to help with goal setting, developing exercise routines, motivation and lifestyle change.
You can give our friendly team a call or book a consultation with one of our Exercise Physiologists to review your child’s NDIS plan to see if their allocated funding can be used for Exercise Physiology Services. Exercise Physiology services can draw from the following funding areas:
- Capacity Building Early Childhood Interventions Supports (under 7yrs)
- Capacity Building Improved Health and Wellbeing
- Capacity Building Improved Daily Living
Yes. If you’re on our waitlist for another allied health service, or need to be added, you will be prioritised by our team for other services when the next suitable practitioner and appointment time arises.