Added value
My promise to you is that no matter who you are, what you’re after or the service you choose, the following benefits and features are included as part of your added value.
Improving your Neuromuscular Coordination & Preventing Injury
Through neuroplasticity we know that your nervous system is forever adaptable and capable of change.
By utilising different styles of training and manipulating intensity and volume we can increase the recruitment and activation of additional motor units for both primary and stabilising muscles.
They will then respond simultaneously to improve force production.
The neural pathways of these muscles then become more efficient at transmitting messages and the timing of your contractions will become more coordinated.
You’ll develop new neural pathways through improving your technique and by having more effective and efficient patterns of movement.
This then gives you the platform and ability to improve across the board, with the added benefit of reducing your injury risk along the way.
Doing this with exercises tailored to your body weight, shape, size, strength, experience, skill level and your goals is the best way to make this happen.
I can provide continual cues to improve your form without making you feel overwhelmed and will ensure you don’t start too hard and take extra caution if you’re coming back from an injury.
Regardless of your situation, I will also ensure proper warm up and cool down activities are performed relative to the activity to prepare your body for movement and to help prevent injuries.
Longevity
Using these methodologies, we can train with longevity in mind. By improving the way you move and adapting to any unforeseen circumstances, you give yourself the best chance of being able to do what you want long into the future. Whether that be playing at the top level at 45 or just being able to go for a walk at 95. You’ll learn injury prevention techniques to avoid getting injured again, or in the first place at all!
By improving the way you move during both resistance and aerobic exercise you can also reduce wear and tear on muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons, allowing you the freedom of movement and reduced pain, for now and later in life.
Psychological training and mental health improvement through exercise
Mental health is health!
The notion that mind and body are separate and have somehow been put into different categories has always mystified me.
Your nervous system is the master control system of your body. It’s made up of your brain, sense organs, spinal cord and the nerves that branch out through your entire body. Your nervous system controls everything, from the way you move to the thoughts you have and the feelings you experience. It also directs bodily functions you may be less aware of, like your heart rate, breathing, hormones, digestion, and the general running of all your body’s cells and organs.
Your nervous system is extremely complex, intricate and delicate, and trying to understand it strictly one way will never work.
During the pandemic people have been reminded just how important their mental health is.
When your body gets a workout, your brain gets a workout. It’s been proven that the fittest people tend to have the best brain vasculature.
Exercise also has the potential to improve stress levels, motor control, executive function, attention, learning, memory and coordination.
Mitochondria increase in volume and efficiency, not just in skeletal muscle, but in smooth/involuntary muscle too, including the brain and heart!
Movement is the natural physiological response to stress and anxiety, making you feel better about yourself.
Move better, think better, feel better!
Exercise should be thought of as a tool to enhance who you are, not just strictly the way you look.
This is of particular importance for teenage mental health to help build confidence.
This is why including psychology as part of a multidisciplinary approach is so important when it comes to improving your health as a whole.
Here we can also utilise mindfulness-based practises, and if you find this beneficial, this can be used in conjunction with your exercise program to further improve your health and wellbeing.
Depending on the way you exercise, beneficial psychological effects can be seen after only a single session!
Levels of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin released by the pituitary gland provide an improved sense of mood and wellbeing, which can lower tension and depression. – IHRSA promoting brain benefits
Focusing on recovery
All programs will have an element aimed at helping you recover more quickly and efficiently between sessions.
Here we can also make improvements in Mobility and Flexibility.
While these words are often used interchangeably, they’re actually two different things.
Flexibility is defined as ‘the ability of a muscle or muscle groups to lengthen passively through a range of motion’, whereas mobility is the ‘ability of a joint to move actively through a range of motion’.
While both are important, mobility is often overlooked and the focus goes solely to flexibility. Improving your mobility can make everyday tasks easier.
Through dynamic movements we can improve your motor control to help limit restrictions and improve your range of motion.
Some methods of recovery utilised can include hydrotherapy, different stretching and mobility exercises; including PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), foam rolling, trigger point and PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation).
Potential benefits of mobility and flexibility exercises include;
Increases in flexibility and range of motion, Improvement of performance in physical activities, Increased blood flow to muscles, Improved posture, The ability to reduce pain; Reducing stress, Calming the mind and Decreasing tension headaches.
Focusing on Stability & Balance
Whilst Balance and Stability are separate concepts, they are closely related.
Balance is a person’s ability to maintain their centre of gravity (equilibrium), whereas stability is a person’s ability to return to a desired position or trajectory following a disturbance (to equilibrium).
Equilibrium is a state of no acceleration and can be static (without movement) or dynamic (moving at a constant velocity).
For healthy populations, general exercise programs can focus on stability and balance without having to use specific movements and equipment.
Injured populations however will benefit from more specific movements and equipment to see improvements in stability and balance.
The differences in your goals and health will be factored in so only effective exercises will be utilised to improve your stability and balance.
The potential benefits include;
Preventing falls, Improving joint stability, Improving physical performance by having a more efficient kinetic chain, Reducing the risk of lower-extremity injuries and Improving proprioception (the ability to know where you are in space).
Basic nutritional advice
Through Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA) and the Australian Institute of Fitness (AIS) I am able to offer basic nutritional advice in line with their and other peak bodies recommendations.
This can be included to compliment your exercise prescription free of charge.
While this can be beneficial, Accredited Practising Dietitians are technically the only people in Australia aloud to give out detailed nutritional advice and specific meal plans, so along with what I can offer I’ve decided to include additional content posted by an Accredited Practising Dietitian each month!
Complimentary program updates
This will occur monthly, (but can be even more frequent if you’re making great progression) as part of your exercise prescription. As long as you’ve had a session with me in the last month this is included free of charge!
I will use consistent plan updates to keep you improving, interested and focused, giving you a clear plan to progress and keeping you accountable.
If you wish to continue training yourself and just wish to get your program updated at your own pace, that is completely fine.
This can be done for as little as $20!
Testing & Assessment
All services I provide include testing and assessment specific to your needs and goals in both the initial consultation and throughout the duration of your exercise programming.
This is essential for establishing a baseline, and the results give you quantifiable information, making it easier to track your progression and come up with future programs and tests tailored to your rate of improvement.
This will include key data on your strengths, areas of improvement and even performance recommendations.
Testing and assessment can also be completed throughout your normal sessions to ensure time isn’t wasted on this for an entire session.
While I can absolutely schedule in testing days and sessions, we do not have to have entire sessions dedicated to this, as I can test specifically and through your feedback during normal sessions to help you avoid added time and stress.
These results will be continually collated and can be provided to you for your own reference.
Additionally, this can also be useful information for health professionals, sporting teams and talent scouts!
– If you wish, we can also correspond between sessions in order to answer any questions that you might have or to help you with any aspect of the coaching/training process.
Returning clients will always be offered ongoing coaching, support, training and education from home.