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Exercise Physiology: What Is It and Why is it Important?

Exercise physiology intervention aims to manage or prevent acute, sub-acute and chronic injury and diseases. It also assists in restoring your optimal physical function.

The exercise physiologists are trained to investigate the way a patient responds and adapt to muscular actions. So, after an in-depth analysis and calculations, the physiologist uses the knowledge to improve the patient’s performance (if s/he is an athlete) and help prevent or treat diseases/injuries.

Miranda is a suburb in New South Wales where people are into football, cricket, basketball, golf, and many other games. And the demand for an exercise physiologist in Miranda is always high due to the citizens’ high participation rate in sports and other physical activities. Meanwhile, people in Australia are really into sports, and you can see that in the country’s ranking in the recent Olympics in Tokyo (Australia ranked 6th in the final tally with a total of 46 medals).

So, a suburb like Miranda, too, has many aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts who would love to have an exercise physiologist.

How Is an Exercise Physiologist Different From a Sports Physiologist?

The sports physiologist focuses on the athletes, and they try to improve the performance and endurance through different exercises, physically and mentally. Whereas in exercise physiology, they treat everyone (including athletes) and work with their coaches, dietitians, manager, etc., to provide a complete recovery and therapy for the person. So, the exercise physiologist looks after the patient’s overall development rather than just their performance and fitness.

Where Do They Practice?

The physiologist practice in various establishments such as:

  • Fitness facilities
  • Military training centers
  • Hospitals
  • Athletic training programs in universities/colleges
  • Corporate wellness programs

What Do They Do?

An exercise physiologist is trained to do the following diagnosis and treatments.

On Athletes:

  • Do fitness tests on athletes to find the exact physiological profiles.
  • Create a tailored training program for athletes.
  • Monitor the training program and reassess the situation and progress.
  • Provide knowledge about heart rate, hydration strategies, recovery techniques, etc., to the athletes and coaches.
  • Give benchmark physiological data to enable long-term improvement of athletes.
  • Work in tandem with other sports professionals such as dietitians, coaches, fitness trainers, etc.
  • Make reports and studies of the development of the athlete/patient.

On Others:

The techniques and treatments done on regular people are somewhat the same as the treatment done on athletes.

  • They do exercise tolerance tests to assess the patient’s situation.
  • Work directly with the patient to bring changes in their routine and diet.
  • Refer patients to other specialists if necessary.
  • Work with community groups, local councils and volunteer to raise awareness about the benefits of exercise.

When Should You See an Exercise Physiologist?

There are many cases in which you must consult a physiologist. This includes chronic disease management referrals after the diagnosis of conditions like:

  • Metabolic disease
  • Pulmonary disease
  • Neurological disease
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Depression and other mental health conditions
  • Musculoskeletal disease
  • Cancer

These are the diseases that require you to visit an exercise physiologist in Miranda and start the treatment immediately. So if you are diagnosed with any of these diseases, you know where to go.

The physiological treatments are very effective and help the person recover completely. And with them, the person feels a lot better because, unlike the traditional treatments, which treat just the symptom, exercise physiology takes care of the patient’s mental and physical health and stability. 

 Author Bio: Steffy Alen is a copywriter and content strategist. She helps businesses stop playing around with content marketing and start seeing the tangible ROI. She loves writing as much as she loves the cake.

Photo by Benjamin Klaver on Unsplash.