PHYSIOFit

14/09/2026

🫀 Did you know cardiac rehabilitation could save your life, or the life of someone you love?

If you've had a heart attack, angioplasty/stent, cardiac surgery, heart failure, or another cardiac event, cardiac rehab is one of the most powerful tools in your recovery toolkit and it's not just "going for a walk."

As a Clinical Exercise Physiologist here's what I actually do during cardiac rehab:

✔️ Assess your fitness, heart rhythm, and blood pressure response to exercise
✔️ Design an individualised, supervised exercise prescription that's safe for YOUR heart
✔️ Monitor you closely so we can push you just enough to rebuild capacity without overloading
✔️ Help you return to work, sport, gardening, and the things you love
✔️ Coach lifestyle change: movement, stress, sleep, and habit building

The evidence is strong: cardiac rehab reduces hospital readmissions, improves quality of life, and can reduce long-term mortality. Yet too many Kiwis who would benefit never get referred.

Who's it for?
After a heart attack, coronary stent or bypass, heart failure, valve surgery, pacemaker/ICD, or heart transplant. Your GP or cardiologist can refer you.

How to get started:
✅ Ask your doctor for a referral
✅ Email or message me directly
✅ Or drop a ❤️ in the comments and I'll send you info

Your heart worked hard to keep you alive. Let's help it work better.



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13/09/2026

Attended the CEPNZ annual conference over the weekend and was introduced to the Movement Wheel and LOVED how it debuked the myth the exercise guidelines will not override excessive additional sedentary volume.

Did you know sitting for 3+ hours straight can measurably reduce blood flow to your brain — even if you hit the gym that morning?

Here's something that changes how we think about "exercise": your body doesn't just care about your workout. It cares about your whole 24 hours. Even meeting weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity targets does not offset harms from prolonged unbroken sedentary time — both must be addressed independently.

Tremblay's Movement Wheel breaks the day into sleep, sitting, and activity — and the research is clear: ticking off your 150 minutes of exercise per week does NOT cancel out hours of unbroken sitting. They're two separate problems that both need addressing.
The good news? The fix is small.

👉 Every 30 minutes, get up and move for 1–2 minutes.
👉 A short walk beats sitting still — even light movement counts.
👉 This simple habit has been shown to improve metabolic health and lower mortality risk, sometimes more than a single 30-minute workout.

So today's challenge: set a reminder, stand up, walk to the kettle, do a lap of the office — whatever gets you moving every half hour. Replacing 1 hour/day of sedentary time with 1 hour/day of either light or moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity was associated with 18% and 42% lower mortality, respectively, among less active adults.

Your heart, your brain, and your metabolism will thank you. 💙

07/09/2026

Key words in this article are
Supervised
Structured
Intentionally applied
Apart of routine care

Why??? Because community based attendance is not enough to illicit the benefits they're stating. Community based attendance is good for morale, comradery, mental health, it does have its place. But for exercise as medicine, it requires a bit more precision.

Fortunately, the prostate group in Cambridge has 2 supervised sessions per week (1 funded), and their routine has a clear rationale!

Love love the Exercise is Medicine message being projected as equal to adujvant therapies!

NHS trial finds exercise protects men with prostate cancer from side effects.

30/08/2026

This could mean exercise too!!!!

Have you had to self-fund an unfunded breast cancer treatment? This election year, we are calling on all political parties to commit to actions that will make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders facing breast cancer.

Personal stories can be a powerful way to help decision-makers and the wider public understand what these issues mean for people and why change is urgently needed.
We would like to hear from anyone who is currently paying for an unfunded breast cancer treatment and may be willing to share their experience in support of our advocacy work.

To find out more about what sharing your story could involve, please email [email protected] with a little information about your breast cancer diagnosis, the treatment you are self-funding and how this has affected you and your whānau.

A member of our communications team will be in touch if there is an appropriate opportunity to share your story.

25/08/2026

Had the privilege of presenting this wee number at the Breast Cancer Foundation Medical Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, alongside the teams Oncologist.
Weve been working very hard over the last few years getting structured precision exercise oncology in place in NZ, and we were well received.
The committee supported our proposal. On to the next step!!
😮‍💨

25/08/2026

Last one was AMAZING (and im not a space girl!) Looking forward to seeing you there!

17/08/2026

🧠⚖️ Did you know your balance is actually a three-way team effort?
Most people think balance is just about strong legs or a good core — but the science tells a much richer story!
Your brain is constantly juggling signals from three sensory systems to keep you upright:

👁️ Vision — your eyes tell you where you are in space
🦵 Proprioception (Somatosensory) — sensors in your muscles, joints and skin feel how your body is moving and what surface you're on
🌀 Vestibular — your inner ear detects head movement and orientation

When one system is less reliable — think walking on uneven ground, or in the dark — your brain automatically leans harder on the others. This is called sensory reweighting, and it's something you can train!

So what does good balance training actually look like? 🏋️‍♀️
✅ Unstable surfaces (foam pads, wobble boards) — challenges your proprioceptive and vestibular systems together
✅ Eyes closed or vision-restricted exercises — forces your brain to rely more on feel and inner ear signals
✅ Dual-tasking — doing a cognitive task (like counting backwards) while balancing, because real life is never just one thing at a time!
✅ Progressive challenge — starting simple and building difficulty over time so your nervous system keeps adapting
✅ Gait and lower limb strength work — because strength and balance go hand in hand

The research is clear: training that targets all three sensory systems — not just one — produces the biggest improvements in balance and the greatest reductions in fall risk.

The great news? This kind of training is accessible at all ages and fitness levels. Whether you're an athlete wanting better performance or an older adult wanting to stay steady on your feet, multisensory balance training is one of the most evidence-backed investments you can make in your body.

💬 Curious what this looks like in a session? Get in touch — we'd love to show you!

16/08/2026

Got the privilege of watching long term client Peter compete in his 2nd power lifting competition in T.A. today.

Never seen a power lifting comp before so it was interesting seeing the lifting culture, athletes, training journeys, the psychology!

Pretty cool.

05/08/2026

International joint statement on exercise and physical activity in the era of obesity pharmacotherapy

CEPNZ is united with 11 other leading international peak bodies representing exercise and sports science in calling for Clinical Exercise Physiologists* (CEPs) to be a core part of obesity care.
The joint statement shares an agreed position on the role of prescribed exercise in helping people use weight-loss medications safely and effectively. These medications are an important advance in obesity treatment, but they achieve the best results with comprehensive wrap around care – including exercise physiology.

Evidence shows that up to 20–40% of total weight lost during these treatments may come from lean tissue, including skeletal muscle.
That's why exercise physiology is important. CEPs are university-trained allied health practitioners who prescribe and supervise exercise to preserve muscle, strength, and physical function during weight loss.

The 12 international peak bodies are calling on governments, health ministries, regulatory agencies, universities, medical regulatory bodies and international health institutions to act with urgency on the six priority areas:
Make multidisciplinary care standard practice for people prescribed GLP-1 medications.
Ensure equitable access to obesity medications and support like exercise physiology.
Eliminate body weight stigma across healthcare, education, policy and practice.
Invest in integrated models of care to improve outcomes and reduce long-term healthcare costs.
Develop evidence-based clinical guidelines and referral pathways.
Invest in research, surveillance and data to strengthen obesity care.
This will make substantial positive difference for people using these medications and ensure it isn’t just weight loss, but health gain.

Read the joint statement
https://www.essa.org.au/Common/Uploaded%20files/Submissions/Joint%20statement%20on%20exercise%20in%20obesity%20care.pdf

24/07/2026

Phew!!!! What a session!

Thank you so much to our sponsors:

Nothing Naughty
Nick "woodwork"
Mora "Circus Eatery"
Elta Ego
Isagenix
David "mystery prizes"
CrossFit Da Vinci coffees!!!!

Thank you to all those who attended and donated in person or online.

Thankyou to Yeseul for contributing your time, laughter and fun!! It was so good to see you again.

There was a few mix ups with the Dry July.NZ vs Dry July.com BUT, do not fear, it all goes to the same place.

The event raised $828.73!