PECTIVE
REFLECTIONS OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
Australian Fitness Network’s
Lifetime Achievement Award
winner believes that, together,
we can change our nation’s
health fortunes.
WORDS: LISA WESTLAKE
assist early detection, quality of life and
survival rates in breast cancer patients.
Although the challenges we face may
overwhelm us as individuals, when we work
together we can achieve great things. Small
fish can make a very big difference!
A disturbingly large number of Australians
struggle with a range of physical and
psychological conditions that stretch our
health dollar, fill our hospitals and drastically
compromise quality of life.
All these conditions – cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and
depression, to name just a few – share
a common thread: exercise. Every day
new research demonstrates that exercise
assists the prevention and management of
numerous conditions, and enhances physical
and mental health and quality of life.
I firmly believe that with the right choices
and instruction, any body of any ability can
benefit from exercise. There is an incredible
opportunity for fitness professionals to
reach out to all ages and abilities and help
make Australians healthier.
Know your stuff
t is 30 plus years since I step
touched and easy walked my way
into the world of leg warmers,
lycra and my first job in a gym. I marvel at the
growth and development of the Australian
fitness industry from then to now, and am
forever grateful for my amazing opportunities
and experiences along the way.
At the recent FILEX convention we
were inspired to ‘realise our potential’, to
optimise the health and fitness of our clients
and ourselves. Yet as I looked out at the
sea of faces during the Opening Address I
wondered ‘how many of us feel like I have at
times… a small fish in a very big sea?’
Just one weekend later, when I was MCing the Melbourne Mothers Day Classic
event, it struck me again that each of the
100,000 participating walkers and runners
may have felt like small fish in a massive
ocean – and yet, united, they raised around
$4 million dollars to fund research that will
I
8 | NETWORK WINTER 2016
To confidently and safely prescribe an
exercise program for a person with a condition
it is vital to understand all elements of that
condition and the exercise implications,
indications and contraindications. There is
no room for guesswork when dealing with
people with special exercise considerations,
so it’s vital that you source quality education
about the condition.
Build relationships
Connecting with medical and allied health
professionals is a great way to boost your
knowledge, reputation and referrals. Succinct,
professional and respectful, written or verbal,
communication relating to your practice or an
individual client will enhance fitness–medical
relationships as well as your client’s wellbeing.
Get involved
Seek and grasp any opportunity to
get involved in your local community.
Volunteering your time, knowledge and
experience at events and gatherings is a
great way to promote exercise as the best
medicine, and has the added benefit of
raising your profile in your community.
Be flexible
While high intensity programs may appeal to
many of our existing clients, they terrify others.
To help health-compromised Australians reap
the benefits of exercise we must also offer less
daunting styles of fitness that are recognised
as safe, effective and achievab le.
Spread the word
Develop a relationship with your local paper
and radio station and help spread the word
that exercise is for everyone. Replace
overwhelming information with bite-sized
chunks of positive ‘you can do it’ messages
that inspire people and give them confidence
to give it a go.
Attitude
Sedentary people with health conditions
often
experience
significant
barriers
to exercise. Fear of exacerbating their
condition, embarrassment and fear of failure
are common disincentives. A judgementfree, warm and understanding attitude is
the first step to helping them take their first
steps to improved health and fitness.
Social side
Embrace every opportunity to enhance
communication, interaction and enjoyment for
participants and clients. The incredible social
and emotional benefits of group physical
activity should never be underestimated.
Fun factor
It is true that exercise must be safe and
effective, but wherever possible inject fun
and laughter. If someone is enjoying their
time training with you then they are much
more likely to stick with it – and to make
lasting changes to their health and fitness.
We deserve to feel very proud of our
industry’s progress. Let’s keep it growing by
helping Australians of all abilities realise their
health and happiness potential.
Lisa Westlake, BAppSc (Physio) is a
physiotherapist, fitness instructor, author and
highly regarded industry presenter. Honoured with
Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, she
adds the title to her previous accolades of Presenter
of the Year 2003 and Author of the Year 2009.
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