Q. I just found out I’m pregnant, can I still exercise or will it harm the baby?

A. You can definitely still exercise when pregnant, even up to the final stages before birth under professional supervision. Regular exercise has shown multiple benefits in maintaining physical fitness, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes, reducing labour time and increased energy levels. A thorough assessment by one of our Exercise Physiologists enables us to identify your current fitness levels, any muscular imbalances and prescribe an appropriate program with modifications throughout each trimester of your pregnancy.

Q. I want to get back into exercise after having a baby. Where do I start?

A. It’s important to understand your body has experienced 9 months of physical and physiological changes, therefore your response to exercise may differ to before pregnancy. Following the medical clearance up to 6-8 weeks post-delivery, an assessment prior to commencing any exercise program is required. Readiness to return to exercise following the birth of your baby can be influenced by a number of factors including prenatal fitness, your wellbeing goals and the delivery. Seeing an Exercise Physiologist can assist you in designing a safe rehabilitation program, targeting pelvic floor and core strength, hip stability and increasing cardiovascular fitness.

Q. I have noticed my balance has decreased. Is this normal and can it get better?

A. Feeling unstable can be related to a number of factors such as previous falls, muscle weaknesses, medications and increasing age. Upon assessment with one of our Exercise Physiologists, we can use exercise to develop a program specific to balance training by improving confidence, muscular strength, co-ordination and thereby balance. Through consistent practice, we can increase the difficulty of balance tasks due to adaptations and improvements.

I have Diabetes, will exercising reduce my blood sugar levels too much so I have a hypoglycaemic episode?

Everybody benefits from regular exercise. If you have diabetes or are at risk of diabetes it plays an important role in keeping you healthy. Exercise does reduce your blood sugar levels, but make sure you take a few easy steps will reduce your risk of having a hypoglycaemic episode. Few easy tips to get the most out of the exercise with Diabetes:

• Have appropriate meals prior to exercise, e.g. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

• Monitor your blood glucose levels before, if possible during (if you are having any symptoms of low blood sugar), and after exercise to assess your requirements for extra food.

• Drink extra fluid before, during and after exercise to avoid dehydration. The fluid may be water or a sweetened drink if extra carbohydrate is required. 250 ml every 15 minutes or one litre of fluid per hour is recommended.

• Take extra carbohydrates before and during exercise to prevent hypoglycaemia. Extra carbohydrate is often needed after exercise. Discuss adjusting carbohydrate intake with your doctor or dietitian.

What are the benefits of exercise for people with type 2 Diabetes?

Exercise benefits people in many different ways, listed below are a few benefits specific to people with diabetes:

• Improves your diabetes management through improving your blood glucose control
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Lower your blood pressure
• Improves cholesterol
• Reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke
• Improves blood flow
• Boost energy and mood and helps tame stress

What should I do before I start an exercise program?

Before you start a physical activity program, you should:

• Talk with your health care team e.g. Doctor, nurse, Diabetes educator prior to starting an exercise
• Book in to see an Exercise Physiologist assess your starting point and build you a safe and specifically tailored exercise program
• Plan ahead and set realistic goals
• Find someone to exercise with or a group exercise program to help keep you motivated and keep exercise enjoyable
• Decide how you’ll track your physical activity and blood glucose levels. It is important to track your BGL to avoid hypo/hyperglycaemic episodes. Keep a record of your physical activity to track your progress
• Reward yourself with a non-food item or activity when you reach your goals. For example, treat yourself to a movie or buy a new plant for the garden

Q. Am I too old for strength exercises?

A. No, you are never too old. Actually, maintaining strength is more important the older you are. Leg strength, in particular, becomes an important factor in maintaining your independence and being able to live independently in your own home. Simple things like getting up and down from a chair or toilet, walking upstairs and balance all require good leg strength. Pop in to see one of our Exercise Physiologists to get a simple yet effective home exercise to keep you strong, confident and mobile.

Q. How can exercise help my high blood pressure?

A. Exercise is a very useful tool in helping to lower blood pressure. After you exercise your blood pressure will come down a little bit and stay down for between 4-10hrs. If you go out every day and exercise you will get a lasting lower blood pressure.

If you are unsure or feeling worried, book an appointment to see one of our Exercise Physiologists to have your Blood Pressure and Heart rate monitored during exercise, and a tailored exercise program to suit your level of fitness.

Q. What is the best way to lose weight?

A. A combination of diet and exercise has been proven to be the best method of weight loss. More than 250 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (Huffed and puffed, but still able to carry a conversation) per week is required. Weight-bearing exercise- walking/jogging has been proven to be more effective in losing weight than non-weight-bearing- e.g. cycling, aqua aerobics and swimming.

The addition of strength training, 2-3 days a week, will assist with slowing down the muscle loss process and helping to speed up your metabolism.

The saying is correct that you can’t out-train a poor diet!

Working closely with our Dietitian and Exercise Physiologist will give you best-indiviualised results.

Q. Is High-Intensity Interval Training or normal walking better for weight loss?

A. Neither one is significantly better than the other. When combined with a good diet, they yield similar results. It comes down to personal preference, level of fitness and time availability.  If you haven’t exercised lately, it is better to start with a continuous moderate-paced exercise to build your foundation of fitness before embarking on HIIT training.

Q. How do I stop excessive skin after weight loss?

A. This can be minimized through gradual weight loss, with the aim of up to a 1% body mass loss per week (E.g 100kg should aim for 1kg mass loss per week). Adding strength training into your program 2-3 days per week will also assist in preserving the lean muscle mass that gives you tone that can be lost during weight loss.