PHYSIOFit

02/06/2026

One of NZs senior CEPs and board member, has done something amazing....

🎉 Exciting news — Dysautonomia NZ is here!
We're a brand new not-for-profit founded by health professionals and colleagues across Aotearoa who are passionate about changing the landscape for people living with dysautonomia.
Our vision is simple but powerful: that every person with dysautonomia in New Zealand feels recognised, understood, and supported. We're working toward a future where timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and community awareness are the norm — not the exception.
We believe the best outcomes happen when people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers work together. No one should feel alone or unseen on this journey. 💙

The website is designed for patients, health care providers and family and caregivers

Whakamārama i ngā tohu ngaro Bringing understanding to dysautonomia in Aotearoa Dysautonomia New Zealand is here to raise awareness, provide education, and build a supportive community for people living with autonomic nervous system disorders across Aotearoa. Raising awareness and empowering peopl...

02/06/2026

🧠 Why We Use Visual & Auditory Cues in Stroke Rehab (And Why It Works!)

**After a stroke, the brain's usual feedback system gets disrupted.**
Normally, your body relies on signals from your muscles and joints to know where you are in space and how much weight you're putting through each leg. After a stroke, those signals often don't get through clearly on the affected side.

The result? Most people naturally over-rely on their stronger side — without even realising it.

**This is where external cues come in. 💡**

Instead of relying on signals from inside the body (which may be unreliable), we give the brain something outside to focus on — like:
✅ A screen showing exactly how much weight is going through each foot
✅ A tone or beep that signals when you've hit your target
✅ A rhythm to match your steps to
✅ A mirror or video display showing your movement in real time

Research shows that when attention is directed *outward* — toward a target or a sound — movement becomes more automatic, more fluid, and more effective. The brain doesn't have to work as hard, which actually makes the movement better!

**Why does this matter for falls? 🚶‍♂️**
One of the biggest reasons stroke survivors are at higher risk of falls is this imbalance in weight-bearing. If you're not loading your affected leg properly, your balance becomes unpredictable — especially when you need to react quickly.

By practising shifting your weight with real-time feedback, we're training your brain and body to:
🔹 Trust and load the affected leg more
🔹 React faster when your balance is challenged
🔹 Build the postural confidence needed for everyday life — stairs, uneven ground, stepping off a kerb

**The goal isn't just better balance in the gym. It's safer movement everywhere.** 🏡
Every step you take with better symmetry is a step toward greater independence and a lower risk of a fall at home.

I am SUPER proud of how far this role model has come. When he first came to me, his movement was heavily bound by fear and lack of confidence. As we slowly moved through that, reflecting often to create a new truth of capabilities, 💥 we unlocked independence and established a connection back with his body.

This is my Why 💖

26/05/2026

The science behind the Breast Cancer Longevity Program -

Exercise is medicine — but only when it's prescribed with clinical precision.

The Breast Cancer Longevity Program doesn't start with a generic plan. It starts with testing.

Here's what that looks like:
🩸 Blood lactate testing
💪 Manual Muscle Testing (MMT)
❤️ Clinical aerobic assessment
📋 Autoregulation- a pre-session readiness tool reviewed weekly. If your body is telling us it's a red-light day, we listen. Every session adapts to where you are that day.

And your programme is periodised around your treatment cycles — not despite them. Chemo week looks different to the week after. Radiation changes what's appropriate. We plan for that from the start.

This is clinical exercise physiology. It's what separates a medically supervised programme from a well-being gym class.

Self-refer or referrals welcome from oncologists, surgeons, and GPs. 💙

c/o Body In Motion, 29 Albert Street, Cambridge

22/05/2026

🩺 New research just published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine 2026, asks a question I get asked all the time — what type of exercise is actually best for blood pressure?

This network meta-analysis pooled 31 randomized controlled trials and over 1,300 participants to compare 8 different exercise types — and crucially, used 24-hour ambulatory monitoring rather than clinic readings (which we know can be misleading).
The findings:

⚡ HIIT produced the strongest diastolic reductions
🏋️ Combined training (aerobic + resistance) topped systolic
rankings
🏃 Aerobic training was the most consistent across the evidence
❓ Resistance and isometric training — still inconclusive for
ambulatory BP

The takeaway for me clinically? Exercise prescription matters. It's not just "move more" — the modality, intensity, and how you measure outcomes all change the picture.

If you or someone you know is managing hypertension and wants exercise tailored to the evidence, I'd love to help.
📍 Cambridge, Waikato
📩 https://physiofithub.com/booking/

Mallmann Schneider et al., Br J Sports Med, 2026

21/05/2026

Cambridge Prost-Fit bringing the heat today. Proudly sponsored by Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand on Fridays and Men Can on Tuesdays.

💪 Exercise isn't just good for prostate cancer. It's one of the most powerful tools in your treatment toolkit.
Research is clear — structured exercise during and after prostate cancer treatment can:
✅ Counter fatigue from hormone therapy (ADT)
✅ Protect muscle mass and bone density lost to treatment
✅ Improve cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health
✅ Reduce the risk of cancer recurrence
✅ Support mental wellbeing and quality of life

But here's what the research can't fully capture — what it feels like to walk into a room full of men who get it. Who know exactly what treatment does to your body, your confidence, your sense of self. And who show up anyway, week after week, and work hard together.

That's what ProstFit is.

A clinician-led exercise programme designed specifically for men living with prostate cancer — built around your treatment phase, your body, and your goals.
Whether you're on active surveillance, mid-treatment, or in recovery — there's a place for you here.

📍 Cambridge, Waikato
👨‍⚕️ Led by Carrie Aspin, Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEPNZ)
📋 GP or specialist referral welcome. Self refer options.
👉 DM us or the Cambridge support group coordinator David 0299934762

Because longevity isn't just about living longer — it's about living better.

19/05/2026

Evening team.
Just a friendly note to say there is no MEDIFit this Thursday. I am not available for that day only.

13/05/2026

Looking back, I was reminded of a Running Symposium I attended a few years ago during covid. It was fantastic.

So I like to share some key findings:

🦵calf loads during running can be approx 12.5x your body weight
🦵calf prehab will off load the hip
🦵lower limb weakness on both sides can be attributed to pain on just one hip, even at 11% deficit
🦵running volume, like weight training, show be periodized with varied intensities
🦵leg stiffness is important for movement efficiency and center of mass displacement- to reduce the burden of fatigue
🦵Athletes with less than 2 days rest during the week training mid-season has a 5.2 fold increase risk for an overuse injury
🦵Strength training will improve economy and tendon strength
🦵Bones are tissues not levers- they need recovery too which can take approx 48hours after a hard run

Here is study called PRO-BONE, 2016, with a protocol used to strengthen bones for soccer players:
Month 1-3: 20 counter jumps, 3sets pday 3x pwk
Month 4-6: add 2kg vest increase to 4sets pday
Month 7-9: add 5kg vest 3sets pday 4xpwk
🦿Bones get board- they adapt fast
🦿Loads need to be far greater than daily encountered loads for adaptation
🦿Regular brief loading bouts are best

26/04/2026

Another great review from one of our customers...

25/04/2026

Shout out to my long time client who is in his 60s, and cracked a National record deadlift 170kg first comp!

To think where he was 4-5 years ago, to now, is one of my greatest achievements as an Ex Phys.

Super super proud champ 🏆